the roommate's sister
by Taylor1991
Summary: Adopted from TetraFish06 with full permission House/OFC When House is hospitalized for a serious illness, he meets and becomes close to his roommate and the roommate's sister. Is a relationship in store for the jaded doctor, or has he been to badly damaged from Stacey?
1. Chapter 1

The Roommate's Sister

A/N: I hope that you guys enjoy the fic. Yes, I adopted yet another fic, fear not Harry Potter fans, I won't ever abandon your two fave ffics. In fact, chapter 11 of Diagnosis will be up in a few days.

A big thanks goes out to TetraFish06 who has so kindly allowed me to continue her work. I've decided to post the fic from the beginning so that those of you who haven't already read the original can read it here if you choose. I'll be adding in a few scenes here and their, but if you like I want to find out what happens sooner rather than later, go to TetraFish06's profile, the fic can be found their under the same ttitle.

(NOTE: I do not own House, MD or any of the characters involved.)

Chapter 1: First Sighting

The first time I saw him, he was in the lobby of Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital yelling at a woman with short, dark hair wearing an exceptionally tight business suit. I wondered what she could have possibly been thinking while shoving herself into the tight clothing.

He was wearing a funky t-shirt, a wrinkled blue button up, jeans, and Nike sneakers.

My brother and I were walking across the lobby towards the elevators, so that we could go up to Dr. Wilson's office. We had been seeing an oncologist at another hospital back in Texas. I moved to New Jersey, because the technology firm I work for transferred me.

He is actually my half brother and is about 25 years younger than me. His cancer took him through hell and back again in the midst of his last two years of high school. Even though our parents (or rather his parents/my dad and stepmother) lived in a large home, he moved into my loft with me, because our parents couldn't deal with his situation. They were always uncomfortable around him ever since he became visibly ill. I was always the one to wait outside the operating room, hold his hand through chemo, and wipe the sweat off his face as he vomited. Despite their lack of personal support, they put up money for the best doctors and treatment money can buy.

My brother had put up a huge fight against his stomach cancer and managed to fight off the cancer and graduate from high school at the same time. He was in remission for most of his senior year.

He moved to New Jersey with me because with everything he went through, he wasn't physically ready for college yet. Upon our moving to New Jersey, his oncologist recommended Dr. Wilson for my brother's follow ups. This was our second meeting with Dr. Wilson. My brother's cancer was back and we both knew he would probably be admitted today.

We stared, like half of the other people scurrying through the lobby were, whenever the middle aged man cracked a wooden cane against the reception desk and seemed to be demanding something from tight suit woman.

She scowled at him and told him, "You are not cutting into this woman's brain. So you can just go up to your office, pout, and play with your balls until you can come up with another, more feasible idea."

I gathered she was his boss, but found it quite strange for any boss to suggest that someone play with their balls while at work. I exchanged looks with my brother to see a slight smirk on his face and realize he was contemplating the same thing.

The scruffy man turned and charged towards the elevator with a fairly prominent limp. My mind immediately wondered what was wrong with his leg. I've always been a nosy person, but this man struck me as particularly interesting.

He stabbed the button with the tip of his cane. I wondered if we should hang back to wait for another elevator, but we were already at the elevator banks. When the doors opened, he stormed in. We reluctantly edged into the car behind him.

I glanced at him because I figured it was only courteous to ask what floor he was headed to. Based on his display in the lobby, I halfway wondered if he had red demon eyes and breathed fire. I was surprised to see that he was slumped against the wall with his head tilted back and his eyes closed. Previously I was frightened of this man, but now I found myself tempted to ask if he was okay. I decided against it and just asked, "Floor?"

He wearily opened his eyes again and muttered, "Four." We were headed to the same place, so I punched the button and waited. I watched him from the corner of my eye wondering if I should be prepared to catch him if he keeled over in the elevator.

His abrupt change in demeanor as soon as he entered the elevator only increased my fascination.

I noticed that he was tall with very muscular arms. I found myself checking his left hand to see if a ring was present. I internally scowled at myself and reminded myself that I was here to support my brother, not scout for men!

As the doors opened, I was surprised to see him thrust himself into an upright position. The only evidence of his previous weariness was a slight shaking of his right arm and a wobble from his leg before he exited the elevator. He stormed off and headed down the hall before I had a chance to blink. I'm not really sure why, but I found myself hoping that I would see him again.

House MD

House had spent half the night getting up and down because he kept needing to pee. A while back, he had diagnosed himself with a bladder infection and got Wilson to prescribe antibiotics. Despite taking the antibiotics, the infection seemed to be worse. He was starting to notice some blood in his urine. While he knew bloody urine wasn't common with a bladder infection, House was so caught up in his current case that he was following his usual habit of ignoring his own body. After all, House was used to living in constant pain since the infarction.

Ever since he detoxed from the vicodin, he tried to tell himself that the pain had improved. In reality, House knew the pain seemed to be getting worse.

At about 7:30 (an early morning for House) his cell phone began to ring. The generic ringtone that House had designated for his team met his ears. This did not bode well for their patient, because clearly something had happened during the night to cause a member of his team to risk his rath by calling so early in the morning. Unfortunately it was Taub updating him on the patient's latest crisis as he had suspected. He hung up on Taub and groaned as he pulled himself into a sitting position blindly groping for the highly ineffective ibuprofen on his nightstand. Throwing the ibuprofen back, House eased his legs over the side of the bed. Lately, he had been feeling pain in his right hip and increasing fatigue in both thighs. He was starting to suspect arthritis from the strange gait he had adopted ever since the infarction and that the additional thigh pain was from attempts to compensate. This morning, the pain was the worst it had been since detox, and he figured he should probably get an MRI to look at the area causing this extreme pain. The only problem with that would be, he would actually have to tell someone. If only he could be in the MRI machine and running the test at the same time. Unfortunately, MRIs weren't designed as self-serve equipment.

If he told Wilson about the pain, he would probably drive him nuts about it. He'd probably plop him down in a wheelchair until he made sure there was no additional damage, want to check for further clots, and generally torture him with sad puppy eyes and paranoia. That kind of fun could just wait.

He figured a hot shower might work and that he should get his butt to work because this latest case was getting more interesting. The hot shower helped a bit. As he eased his clothes on, he wondered if he would even be able to get onto his motorcycle today. He decided he should take the car since he'd be doing good just to get out to the car, into the hospital, past Cuddy, and to his office.

House MD

Any and all reviews are appreciated and enjoyed!

I asked for and received the original author's permission before adopting the fic.

BTW House in this fic reminds me of myself, he's extremely proud and independant, despite what he has to face. I got my seeing eye dog from New Jersey, and this fic has me wondering, would House ever decide to get a service animal? He isn't going to do so in this fic in case you're wondering, but I have read a fic where he suffers brain damage and Wilson gets him a very loyal service dog, but the name of said fic eludes me…


	2. Chapter 2: Casey and an Encounter with t

The Roommate's Sister

A/N This fic is AU regarding certain aspects of season six, thirteen's presence, Foreman's character developments, and the most important one, Cuddy and House won't pursue a romantic relationship. A guest reviewer asked me if I'm going to just repost all eighty plus chapters or change/add some things. The answer is simple. Of course I'm going to add in some stuff, a medical mystery here or there (particularly in places where the original author skipped a few weeks), some extra info their, a smut scene or two perhaps. At first, a majority of the stuff will remain the same, but I'll be posting at least a chapter a day, so regardless you guys won't have long to wait for new stuff. I already combined chapters one and two, which should make those of you happy who enjoy chapters over 1,000 words. The original author made a tiny error of having House using an IV for part of the chemo and a central line placed for parts, just a minor plot hole that I'm going to fix. Hope that this reassures you guys that I'm not just trying to pass this off as my own and ask for reviews on another person's work. Oh yeah, thirteen will be in the fic, I don't know if the original author just forgot about her or intentionally left her out. Either way, I think that she can shine some light on House's perspective, now that he's battling a serious illness.

Also, as you can see, I tried to not repeat names and such like saying Wilson every sentence as asked by another reviewer. Hope that the alternative way of doing it makes for a more enjoyable read. Sorry about the long a/n. It shouldn't happen again.

(NOTE: I don't own House, if I did then I certainly wouldn't be struggling to update three fics, finish my final week of a three week long history course, and keep up with my fave dog, Faith now would I?)

Chapter 2: Casey and an Encounter with the Evil Mistress AKA Cuddy

As he pulled into the hospital parking lot, he decided a brain biopsy was the next logical step for diagnosing the patient.

This request would tick Cuddy off. As far as House was concerned, ticking Cuddy off was always an added bonus with any procedure. He knew he would have to clear it with Cuddy and that he might as well do that before going up to the office – at least he'd save a few steps.

House took a deep breath before getting out of the car. The world-renowned diagnostician always held a firm stance that his coworkers must never see him hurting. At least it wasn't icy today, so he got into the building fairly quickly.

He carefully schooled his expression into an arrogant scowl and charged up to Cuddy who was standing by the main desk. House slapped his cane against the counter and proceeded to demand the most outrageous diagnostic test he could think of that'd actually help the team in the treatment of their patient (and this time, the biopsy was actually necessary to treat the patient, which made it all the sweeter), and he certainly got a rise out of Cuddy, though it wasn't the answer he had hoped for.

House realized slapping the cane against the counter was a very bad idea, as he almost lost his balance before he could get the cane under him, but he figured that Cuddy was mad enough at his demand to not notice his momentary scramble to remain upright.

As the intelligent doctor had suspected, Cuddy refused him the test and he wasn't sure how much longer he could maintain such a confident front. Normally, he would put up a fight, but he figured his goal should be making it to his office as the hip pain was starting to ramp up and annoy his lower back.

After all, a difference from their status quo arguments might throw Cuddy for a loop.

He hurried to the elevator and stabbed the button with far more bravado than he actually felt.

As soon as it opened and he was away from prying eyes, he sagged against the wall and reached towards his hip as if that would help with the pain.

House realized he hadn't indicated a floor, but just then two people entered the elevator. Since the abrasive doctor didn't know them, he didn't particularly care if they knew that he felt like crud. He figured he'd let them press the floor. His fierce independence would just have to take a vacation for today.

He noticed the woman had one of the hottest butts he had ever seen, and he wondered if her boobs had even close to the same appeal, but she was faced at an angle where he couldn't see her boobs. If House was feeling better, he would have antagonized her into turning around so that he could get a better view, but he didn't have the energy.

The misanthropic man grunted out a "Four" so that they could select the floor.

House noticed that they were heading for the same floor. He allowed his nosiness to run amuck as he speculated on their potential purpose on the fourth floor.

Maybe he would see the woman again later, and he could get a frontal boob view. Goal for the day!

House figured he should put his grouch persona back on so that he could deal with the fellows without looking as wimpy as he felt.

He went into his office and propped himself against the whiteboard, so that he could berate the fellows into giving out enough ideas so that he could decide on a plan for the patient, which was further complicated whenCuddy shot down the brain biopsy idea.

Chase, Thirteen and Taub exchanged looks silently wondering what had crawled up House's rear today to put him in such a bad mood.

Foreman noticed his mood, but he also noticed he was heavily sweating and getting pale. Foreman's diagnostic bells were going off for more than just the patient.

"It's drugs," said Chase predictably.

"If you were listening, then you'd recall that the patient adamantly denied any drug use, recreational or otherwise," replied Foreman.

"Yeah yeah, don't say it," said Chase. We are well acquainted with the Housian theory that 'everybody lies.'"

Foreman was suitably impressed with Chase, in years past; the Australian would sooner lose his job than speak his mind in front of his prickly boss. My how things have changed.

"Did he say where he was last employed," asked Thirteen unperturbed.

"I've got better things to do with my time than talking to a patient who need I remind you, is going to lie through his teeth if necessary," came House's signature statement of "everybody lies always."

House's clever retort was rudely interrupted by his own brain no less.

House contemplated which fellow would be the best candidate to get an MRI from.

He thought about just getting an X-Ray, but he wanted to get a decent look at the thigh while he was at it, and an MRI would give him a more thorough diagnostic picture.

House decided Foreman would be his best option. He didn't spend enough time around Wilson that he would be likely to tell him and he wasn't overtly caring so he wouldn't be likely to get all mushy and nosey about the pain.

Any further comments about the differential or otherwise went unheard by House until he decided upon Foreman.

Getting back on track, House said, "Thirteen, go pry into the patient's utmost secrets. Taub and Chase, we need to get to the bottom of this, we won't know if he's a user unless we search his place," ordered House. "And by "we" I of course mean you."

"Why can't Foreman do it," asked Taub petulantly. "He's the one with a criminal record…grand theft auto if I'm not mistaken. A little B&E should be a breeze for him."

"Stop acting like a useless nincompoop and go do your job."

"I don't seem to recall breaking and entering being listed in my job description," retorted Taub.

"I thought that you got over this childishness already," sighed House, in too much pain to give a more heated response to his unusually petulant ducklings. "Regardless, go forth and do as your master commandith, or you're fired."

Once decisions were made about the patient, the fellows began to file out of the office. House made a quick decision and called Foreman back.

While the fellow's backs were turned, House eased himself into the nearest chair at the conference table. They weren't comfortable, but they were better than standing. He faced away from the glass wall so that nobody would see his face.

Foreman heard his boss and turned back curiously.

House's back was now to the door so Foreman just hollered, "What?"

House quietly said, "Come here."

Foreman figured the three fellows could handle the grunt work themselves and hoped that House might have some more interesting ideas about the patient.

House hadn't yakked through the differential as much as usual, so Foreman hoped he might get to do some sort of dangerous test House didn't want the team knowing about.

"I need a hip MRI."

Well, that was less than exciting.

The African-American doctor wondered if House was off his rocker, or at least more so than usual, "The patient's symptoms are most likely coming from his brain or spinal column."

House berated him, "For me, you idiot! Go to radiology and see how soon you can book the MRI. ASAP – I'll even grant you permission to cut in line."

"You always tell us to cut in line," Foreman reminded him with a scowl.

House MD

Wilson browsed through the file of the patient he was about to see. He liked to start seeing patients when they were originally diagnosed and manage their treatment plan from the start, but situations weren't always ideal.

Casey Black – Wilson made a point of remembering patient's names, even if his best friend didn't. His sister was the caregiver – he had originally assumed that she was the patient's mother based on the age difference. He figured their mom must have remained fertile for a good long while to pop two kids out with such an age gap between them. 'One of these days I'll be just as nosey as House.'

The oncologist scowled and shook his head to get House's thoughts out of his mind.

Wilson racked his brain to remember her name. WOMAN WITH THE GREAT BOOBS was never a good title to use with patient's family members. Oh yes, Claudia was her name.

Their first appointment had been brief and was mostly just a session for ordering tests. Considering that the previous appointment was Friday and Wilson had scheduled this appointment for the next Monday, he assumed the patient had already figured out that the cancer was back.

Casey's previous doctors had managed to get him into remission long enough for the kid to graduate high school. Although Wilson would have followed a different treatment plan, the doctor obviously wasn't a total moron.

After all the time Wilson spent around House he was starting to develop the default position that doctors he didn't know were morons. 'How did House manage to worm his way into my brain?'

With the late diagnosis (common with stomach cancer) and the size of the original cancer, Wilson would have probably removed the entire stomach, but this doctor had only removed about a third and then hit the kid with enough chemo to sink a battleship.

He could understand the merits of not wanting to inflict a lifetime of digestive issues on a teenager, but even a third of the stomach would cause plenty of issues.

The kid's cancer probably would have just cropped up somewhere other than the stomach. Wilson sighed and often wondered why he had chosen such a bleak specialty.

The other doctor's choices were irrelevant now, so Wilson just needed to come up with a treatment plan for the kid now.

Cuddy told him that he needed to take great caution with this case as the parents had apparently donated a huge sum of money to the hospital that treated the kid prior to their move to Jersey. Did Cuddy think he didn't use caution with all his patients?

It seemed that all Cuddy saw were dollar signs, while Wilson saw the patient. I guess this was the classic admin VS. doctor differences that House was always ranting about.

Wilson outlined a couple of treatment plans and then grabbed a snack before the patient arrived.

James was surprised he hadn't received a visit, or rather invasion, from House by now. He had heard that House created quite a spectacle in the lobby this morning. As if that was a surprise – still it would give the nurses a hot gossip topic for the day. Unfortunately, every shift change, the incoming nurses would probably learn more about House's antics than the patients they would be monitoring.

Wilson heard a loud knock on his door. "Come in!"

The caring oncologist headed for the couch area. When things were about to get rough, he liked to make sure that the patient was comfortable and the setting was low key.

He shook hands with Claudia.

Casey ignored his hand and unceremoniously plunked himself on the couch without even being asked and said, "Let's get this show on the road. What's the torture plan?"

Wilson saw Claudia send him a warning glance. "Hello Dr. Wilson."

Casey just rolled his eyes.

Wilson went ahead and ditched his plan for his classic gentle touches on the arm and sympathetic eyes. He wasn't going to have to tell him he was dying, but things were pretty bleak.

He cut to the chase and laid out the facts, "I think our best option is to remove the entire stomach. The cancer appears to be confined to the stomach at this time. There is a tumor in the upper portion of your stomach this time and that increases the danger to the rest of your body. Last time the tumor was in the lower portion of your stomach so a partial removal and other treatments got you into remission. This cancer is too advanced to do a laparoscopic removal, so you will need an open surgery. We will create an incision across the abdomen. We will reconstruct your gastric system as much as possible, after removing the stomach."

Before Wilson could even finish his treatment plan, Casey broke in, "When?"

"I would like to do this as soon as possible."

Claudia ignored her brother, "What happens after the stomach removal?"

"I will insert a feeding tube so that we can keep his nourishment adequate. He will need to keep his strength up because I am recommending chemotherapy and radiation of the surrounding area. If we weren't doing cancer treatments, we might have been able to try things without a feeding tube, but the cancer treatments will be very rough on his body."

"Even though the cancer is confined to the stomach, studies have shown that his long-term prognosis is best with additional treatments beyond just removal of the stomach. Last time, he had the cancer treatments prior to the partial stomach removal. I believe we need to go ahead and get the stomach out as quickly as possible, since the cancer seems to be confined. We will not be able to watch the cancer for response to the chemo, but I am also concerned that he might be too weak after treatments to undergo a full stomach removal."

"Will he always have the feeding tube?" Claudia asked. Casey was listening and taking it all in, but seemed a lot calmer than his sister.

"It will take a while for the gastric reconstruction to heal, but most patients can consume small meals. With the side effects associated with cancer treatments, the healing process will probably be slow. With careful diet, the feeding tube can usually come out at some point. It can often take time, but the feeding tube is of course under your clothing and is quite small. Most people would never realize it is there."

Claudia seemed relieved.

This was a common concern amongst patients. Consuming meals in a liquid, prescription form through a tube in your abdomen is not exactly appealing.

Casey glared at his sister. "Back to my previous question, when do we do this?"

"I would like to admit you today, so that we can begin flushing your digestive tract. We can give you IV fluids and nutrients in the meantime, but you will not be able to eat or drink for a while."

Casey interrupted with a scowl, "The whole flushing the digestive tract thing kinda gives that part away."

Well, this kid was certainly pleasant. Wilson figured it was the stress of his impending surgery.

Wilson continued the rest towards Claudia, "Technically, we could send him home with medications to drink that would flush his tract, but I still need further tests and I would rather be able to admit him and monitor him here. Once we know that his digestive tract is clear, we will proceed with the surgery."

Wilson and Claudia continued to discuss treatment plans, side effects, length of hospital stay, etc. until Casey abruptly stood up and headed for the office door.

"Casey, where are you going?" Claudia asked.

"If you two are going to keep talking, I figured I might as well go find the admissions department myself."

Dealing with House on a daily basis for several years had provided Wilson with a better understanding of people like Casy, he was determined to get this show on the road, and would make his way to the admit area with or without his sister and oncologist, so Wilson quickly followed saying as he did so, "Well we can finish this discussion on the way to admissions."

"Unfortunately, we have some construction on a portion of the hospital and I will not be able to give you a private room." Wilson cringed to await his reply. Cuddy had said that the family had a good deal of money, and Wilson found that the wealthy patients usually insisted on private rooms.

"I would rather share a room, so that I at least have someone else to gawk and stare at. Ideally find someone in serious condition so that I can watch the traffic of doctors and nurses travel in and out. Of course, the cancer ward is usually a good place to find the seriously ill. Make sure it isn't someone likely to have morons visiting – I've found that academics or professionals tend to be the most interesting roommates. Make sure that they aren't too near death because then they might die on me once I start to get really interested. The comatose aren't interesting because then I can't talk to them or annoy them. Comatose patients don't have near as many visitors or as much action in their rooms."

That was probably the strangest response Wilson had ever heard regarding room arrangements. They had reached admissions so Wilson bid them farewell and awkwardly replied, "Well, I'll see what I can do."

'He reminds me of a certain misanthropic chap.' thought Wilson fondly.

House MD

Thanks for reading - please review if you have time - constructive criticism is always welcome or even just to let me know that you are reading so that I can post more.

I will go ahead and tell you that I am not a medical expert. I have done quite a bit of research for this story, but there are most likely some errors. I do intend for this to be an uncommon case, though, so things may be a bit abnormal. If anything is confusing, please let me know!

I have a friend who uses a feeding tube, most people think that using one means that you can't eat any solids, this is not the case, in Casey's case, at first all of his dietary needs will be met through the tube but as his body grows stronger, he'll slowly switch to small amounts of solid foods.


	3. Chapter 3: Introspections

The Roommate's Sister

A/N: Claudia's thoughts are in ' and the nurses are in "

I'm going to upload chapter four later this evening.

(Still don't own House, regrettably, David Shore and co own House, not me.)

Chapter 3: Introspections

Foreman turned and trudged toward radiology. Radiology was fairly deserted, so the doctor headed up to the desk and asked the attendant to show him the schedule. He flashed her a quick smile and she handed it over. He noticed a one hour window around lunch. Apparently the radiology tech was too lazy to run MRIs during lunch nowadays. Foreman was sure House would want him to run the MRI himself, so he just wrote booked across the schedule and told the attendant to enter it in the computer.

He turned to leave and she asked, "Patient name?" Foreman sped up his pace and ignored her. He figured House would want this kept low profile and he certainly didn't want to spur House's mood into something even worse.

As he went back to the conference room, Foreman remembered how "off" House had looked this morning and his diagnostic bells were once again ringing. Trying to figure House and his behaviors out was often more interesting than the patients. Foreman would never tell House, but he was secretly fascinated with him, his genius, and his eccentric habits.

The neurologist even caught himself starting to care about House. Foreman shook his head and got that mentality out of his system. When he approached the office, he was surprised to see House slumped at the conference table, exactly where he left him. He figured he would be in his office watching soaps by now.

When Foreman swung the conference door open, House jumped slightly and let out a soft grunt. He was about to just tell House to meet him in radiology, but he noticed that his boss was even paler now. He went to grab some coffee while discretely watching House. "We've got the MRI in 20 minutes."

House saw Foreman watching him and wondered if he did indeed look as bad as he felt. The middle aged doctor pushed himself to a standing position and found himself swaying until he caught himself with his cane. Foreman took an abrupt step towards House and realized it was a big mistake when he saw House's glare. House left the office toward radiology with Foreman trailing behind.

Foreman tossed House a gown and headed into the control room. When House didn't appear again for a while, he was considering whether he should go look for him. Just as Foreman rose to check things out, House limped slowly towards the MRI machine. As he positioned himself Foreman came over the speaker, "What all are we getting?"

"Hip/pelvis area and thighs."

"What are we looking for?"

"None of your business, just run the damn test. Take thin slices."

Foreman decided that was all the answers he would get. "House, hold still. I'm starting."

"I've had an MRI before, I'm not a moron! It sounds like you may be, though."

Foreman sighed and shut the speaker off. House was definitely irritable. He was never a fuzzy bundle of joy to spend time with, but Foreman chalked this extra delightfulness up to increased pain.

House now found himself longing for Wilson to come over the speaker as THE VOICE OF GOD.

Foreman's pager started going off – he needed to call Taub. He quit watching for MRI results and started consulting with Taub. Just as the MRI completed Foreman received a page that the patient was crashing. He resolved to check House's results later.

He turned on the speaker. "House, MRI is over, patient is crashing, meet me in the patient room." With that, Foreman left the control room to head for the patient's room.

The MRI was finally over. House was starting to wonder if he might wet himself. He looked to the control booth and saw that Foreman was already gone. He was relieved that nobody was there to see him struggle off the MRI table.

After a marginally successful attempt at urination, House got his clothes back on and hurried towards the patient room. There's nothing like the adrenaline offered by critically ill patients.

The fellows had no idea that Foreman had been conducting an MRI or that House and he had been together. The neurologist hurried into the room to see Taub hard at work on the patient.

"Sinus rhythm is back." Chase muttered as a collective sigh of relief went around the room.

"Where's House?" Thirteen asked Foreman.

"I paged him," seemed to be as good an answer as any.

The doctors began to file out of the room just as House appeared turning the corner. Foreman noticed how heavily House was leaning on his cane, even though the other fellows seemed to take no note.

House always insisted that he was fine and the fellows got in the habit of ignoring anything physical that House might be going through out of respect for their boss's pride. As House approached a small boy came running out of a nearby patient room, after visiting some relative.

"Children are not SUPPOSED to be visiting right now," Taub scowled.

After that, things seemed to go in slow motion. The child abruptly changed directions and was heading directly for House.

"What happened?" House shouted at the fellows as he approached with his focus totally on them and the patient. "And why are you all here, I gave you all tasks to complete after the ddx, did I not?"

"Watch ou…" was all Foreman got out before the little brat collided with House's cane.

Unfortunately, House was mid-stride and about to place his weight on the cane and his right leg. His right leg buckled resulting in a spectacular wipe-out with most of his weight landing on his thigh and hip. Foreman winced for House.

The child was forgotten as Chase, Thirteen, and Taub seemed to be pondering if they should offer to help House up or stand back and avoid his wrath for not doing what their boss had ordered them to do.

House MD

Claudia sat next to Casey's bed working on her laptop. Fortunately, her job allowed her to work on her own schedule and wherever she wanted. This was a big help through all of her brother's previous treatments and she had a feeling it would be a big help now. Her boss was always pretty understanding of Casey's situation.

He had just hurried to the bathroom for another session on the porcelain throne. She hated to see him suffer, but knew that this was only the beginning of his latest battle.

Claudia leaned towards the door, so that she could listen to the latest gossip. She always got a kick out of the inner workings of the hospital in Texas and all of the personalities involved. Who needs Prescription Passion when a regular soap opera was always unfolding in the hall? Casey spent so much in-patient time in Texas that hospital stays became a part of her life. She suspected that hospitals in Jersey contained plenty of excitement, too.

She knew Casey would deny it, but Claudia knew he hated being in the hospital alone. She always spent as much time as she could with him. She figured she might as well soak up the gossip and make the best of it.

Two nurses were currently in the hall for a shift change. "Did you hear about the latest House/Cuddy spectacle in the lobby?"

"Marsha from ICU already told me. Apparently he was whacking the counter with his cane and everything."

She perked up realizing that this must be about the sexy guy from the elevator. 'I wonder if he had a nice time playing with his balls this morning - I would have enjoyed helping him out' Claudia fantasized for a moment.

The other nurse continued, "I saw the whole showdown on my way in. I could just envision the muscles rippling under his T-shirt as he swung that cane around."

'I could envision those muscles, too. Using the cane he must have quite a build under that shirt.' she thought to herself.

The nurse continued, "If he wasn't such a jerk, he would have the nurses crawling all over him...literally."

"Instead, everyone goes for his best friend."

Claudia was wondering who his best friend must be.

"Wilson has those sweet puppy-dog eyes, but..."

'Wilson!' Claudia wondered if she meant Casey's doctor.

"...he doesn't have that blue fire and ice combination that House does though."

'His name must be House!' Claudia found herself irrationally upset that she hadn't gotten a good look at his eyes.

"Last time House was ranting at me about something I apparently did, I almost reached forward and grabbed his butt. Those eyes just turn me on. It's a shame that his personality comes along with them..."

The nurse's voices faded down the hall. Claudia didn't have much time to ponder this new information, because Casey came stumbling out of the bathroom dragging his IV pole. Back on task.

House MD

Since Foreman did the MRI this morning, things had been niggling at the back of his brain. Ignoring the others, he ran towards House and kneeled at his side.

When Foreman saw that House was no longer conscious, he realized that this wasn't like the missteps they had seen House take in the past.

He noticed that House didn't hit his head, so he really shouldn't be unconscious. He had just been expecting some bruises, obscenities yelled at the child, and a highly disgruntled House. Judging from his behavior this morning, he was in a lot of pain to begin with today.

Foreman quickly took charge, "Taub, get Wilson! Chase, get over here!"

Thanks for reading...reviews are appreciated!


	4. Chapter 4: Zebra or Horse?

The Roommate's Sister

*I never really clarified, but the House/Cuddy dating thing does not exist in my story. House and Cuddy are friends/coworkers. This does happen after Mayfield and without Vicodin, but I am not specifying a precise episode*

I enjoy writing Foreman's character. I think that there is a lot more complexity to him that we often don't see on the show. Am I writing him out of character? Maybe, but it isn't my intent. I just like trying to get inside the characters' heads. I think of Foreman as someone whose brain runs ninety miles an hour and I have tried to capture that.

Also, I know that I had told you guys that I'd update twice yesterday, sorry about not keeping my word, I had to take my LAST history test before the final exam on Friday, and sorry, but getting my college degree trumps writing fanfic everyday. I will probably post chapter 5 today instead.

(If I owned the exclusive rights to House then Cuttner would have never offed himself.)

Chapter 4: Zebra or horse?

Wilson was finishing off some paperwork from admitting an 18 year old cancer patient, Casey Black, when the door burst open. The oncologist looked up fully expecting House to arrive with lunch demands. He was quite surprised to see Doctor Hadley instead.

"Wilson, House fell!" Thirteen stated with harried breathing.

"What do you mean?"

"He was coming down the hall, when a kid collided with his cane. He's not conscious."

As soon as Wilson heard that his best friend was unconscious, he darted into the hall, "Where is he? Did he hit his head?"

"No, I don't think so." Thirteen replied as Wilson followed her down the hall.

As Hadley and Wilson arrived at the scene, Foreman and Chase were securing House onto a gurney being held by two orderlies and a dazed looking Taub. Cuddy was flitting about with her cell phone to her ear.

When Wilson approached and was able to pick out the words, "Dr. Mathis…hip and pelvic area…severe." he knew things must not be good.

Dr. Mathis was the head of orthopedic surgery. Wilson admired her greatly. Although she was the head of orthopedic surgery, she also held a specialty in oncology. They had engaged in many a debate about clinical trials and various cancer treatments.

Cuddy shut her phone and turned to the other doctors, "Get him to the ER for assessment – Dr. Mathis is meeting us down there."

Chase, Cuddy, Taub, Thirteen, Wilson, and the orderlies all headed to the ER with House's gurney. There was no way that Foreman could persuade Chase to go do House's bidding, he couldn't make him, now that House wouldn't be able to browbeat the Ossie into doing so.

(While House is being taken to the ER for evaluation)

Foreman abruptly remembered the MRI from earlier and turned to radiology to grab the results.

Everyone would be looking for damage from the fall, but what if there was an underlying problem?

Why did House ask for the MRI to begin with?

He turned toward radiology to hunt down the results.

His diagnostic brain was running as he headed for radiology. The more he thought about it, Foreman realized he had seen many changes in House over the past month or so.

WEIGHT LOSS

INCREASED SWEATING

INCREASED LIMP AND/OR PAIN

HIP?

EXHAUSTION

PALLOR

FREQUENT TRIPS TO RESTROOM? BLADDER OR BOWEL ISSUE?

IRRITABILITY – MORE THAN USUAL – POSSIBLY CAUSED BY EXTRA PAIN

Foreman arrived at radiology and pulled up the scans. What he saw stopped him in his tracks.

This was definitely not what he was expecting to find.

Foreman's eyes immediately jumped to a large tumor in House's prostate and what appeared to be a sizable growth in his pelvic girdle.

Hopefully these were benign growths.

He needed blood from House. With blood he could go ahead and test for cancer markers – it wouldn't be a particularly definite test, but it could help them decide on a biopsy plan.

Had the fall jarred the area and caused House enough pain to pass out? He knew that prostate cancer sometimes causes a feeling of leg weakness. Was that why House wanted the MRI? Did that affect his fall?

The neurologist thought he had noticed House taking lots of trips to the bathroom – that could indicate prostate cancer …or a large cup of coffee. It did seem like they had been going through a lot of coffee in the office lately.

Foreman was getting way ahead of himself – why did he always speculate on the worst case scenario?

He was obviously spending too much time around House.

If the prostate tumor was cancerous, the other growth might be a bone malignancy.

Perhaps the prostate tumor was benign, but then what the heck was the other thing he was looking at?

Judging from the prostate, it was highly unlikely that the other growth could be primary bone cancer.

If his bones were affected by secondary cancer, then large amounts of calcium would have been released into his bloodstream by the surrounding area.

Foreman could test calcium levels in his blood.

A benign growth in the pelvic area would be like a horse. Should he really be looking for zebras? Working with House made him want to look for zebras by default.

This had to be a horse, right?

As annoyed as Foreman often got with his boss, he didn't want a zebra rampaging through House's hip.

That just sounded awkward.

Wilson would have a cow when he saw this. He was probably already having a cow in the ER. Are cows more like horses or zebras? Maybe it depends on if it is a Guernsey cow. Irrelevant…

After staring at the MRI images for a moment, he gathered everything up and headed for the ER.

House MD

When Foreman arrived in the ER, it was practically deserted. He looked around and immediately noticed where House was - the scene playing out in front of him would be hilarious if it wasn't for the fact that House might be sick or hurt.

The dean of medicine was awkwardly standing there with a pair of surgical scissors and Houses's damaged pants and boxers. Apparently she had been the one to cut his lower clothes off. He noticed a strange blue pattern on the boxers. He also noticed what appeared to be a big, red guitar across the boxers. He never pictured House wearing "fancy" boxers - you notice the strangest things sometimes. House will probably be pissed when he finds out that his clothes were cut off.

His right sneaker was in Taub's hand and Taub was, well, Foreman had no idea what he was doing.

Thirteen stood their taking it all in, with an expression of bewilderment plastered on her face, and Foreman noticed that she seemed out of breath, perhaps she had been the one to inform Wilson about his friend's condition…

Chase was approaching with a portable X-ray machine.

Dr. Mathis, the head of orthopedic surgery, was probing around near House's right thigh. One of Mathis's residents was standing across from her probing House's left hip and a second resident was reaching towards House's right hip.

The "Weird Night Janitor Who Wears His Pants Backwards" was standing there with a roll of paper towels. He had no idea what the janitor was doing there in the middle of the day.

Wilson was…chewing on his fingernails and rubbing the back of his neck simultaneously. He was also pacing – it looked like an awkward multi-tasking exercise where none of the tasks actually accomplish anything. All he needed now was some chewing gum and to start patting his head and rubbing his stomach.

A nurse Foreman didn't recognize was attaching leads to House's chest and affixing a pulse-oximeter.

Another nurse was starting an IV line and hanging what was most likely saline.

Chase parked the X-ray machine and was heading towards Foreman, so he suggested Chase go check on their patient – the one House was headed for when it all went South. Foreman had a feeling there might be too many cooks in the kitchen.

"Taub, can you draw some of House's blood?" That would get the ball rolling there. Taub grabbed a blood-draw kit and returned with the sneaker still in hand. He looked around confusedly, but eventually set the sneaker to the side, so that he could wash his hands and glove up.

He noticed the nurse starting House on oxygen and what appeared to be another bag of fluids, so he figured House must be getting shocky.

Mathis was giving her residents instructions for X-ray angles and exactly what images she needed.

Foreman was wondering how he should drop the bomb regarding the MRI results.

Here goes, "Wilson, these are some results from an MRI I did on House earlier today."

"Why didn't I know about these? Why did House want an MRI? Why would he ask you?"

Wilson seemed to be wondering why House hadn't asked him to perform the tests. It was probably because of Wilson's aimless fretting right now.

Foreman ignored these questions from Wilson.

Cuddy approached as well. She looked strange carrying around boxers and jeans that had been cut in half. Wilson and Cuddy both approached. Once the residents started X-rays Mathis turned towards Foreman as well.

He saw Chase come back into the ER - patient must be fine.

Taub walked up carrying a tray now filled with vials of blood – Foreman realized those vials could tell them something really bad or bring good news…

At least everyone would find out at once.

Foreman took a deep breath and began to dig out films and explain what he found.

He didn't get far before one of the orthopedic residents yelled out, "We've got an emergency on our hands!"

Thanks for reading!


	5. Chapter 5: the Operation

The Roommate's Sister

A/N: Thanks for the reviews you guys. They really mean a lot to me. However, I must ask, do you guys want me to continue this? Several anonymous reviewers have given me the impression that they do not. I resent the implication that I was intentionally not telling you guys the name of the author on purpose, in case you don't already know, I'm totally blind and wanted to ensure that I had the spelling of the author's name right, so that I'm not accused of plagiarism. I wasn't aware that adopting fics wasn't common practice in the House fandom, it's very common in the Harry Potter verse, but perhaps that's because it's a larger fandom. If you have any questions to the validity of my claim that I adopted the fic from TetraFish06 with their full permission, then pm the author. I don't mind constructive criticism, but flames will be ignored, and if you can't respect me, then I will be disabling anonymous reviews. I value constructive criticism, and that's why for those of you who have read the original fic might have noticed, I'm replacing some of the name repetition for Foreman for instance, with "the neurologist" and such, but his name was repeated so much that I could only do so much. Please let me know if you wish me to continue this or not.

(I still don't own House and this is just for fun)

House MD

Chapter 5: the Operation

Wilson's POV

"We've got a problem."

All eyes shifted back to the gurney. The residents were currently viewing portable x-ray results and looking at House's thigh.

"There is a femoral shaft fracture. When you splinted it on scene, it was stable. The damaged muscles in his thigh have started to spasm – something shifted," said one of the residents astutely. Mathis's residents seemed capable as they summed up their findings.

The doctors realized that the remaining muscle was creating a vibrating ripple effect and the leg was turning dark – it looked like blood was rapidly filling beneath the skin.

"We think bone fragments have shifted onto a blood vessel, and it is now bleeding profusely into the surrounding area."

Cuddy jumped in, "He's been on mild blood thinners ever since the infarction."

Mathis calmly stated, "Then we've got a definite problem on our hands. Is he allergic to any medications?"

When no response came, she continued, "Felt, inject a targeted paralytic directly into the scarred area. We don't want to paralyze him systematically, but we've got to get that muscle still. We don't have time for further testing. Book an OR, we're opening him up."

Wilson was in a panic and his medical sensibilities were obviously out the window, "Based on the external evaluation, his hip may need surgery as well. Should we wait and do it all at once?"

Mathis and her residents were already guiding the gurney out of the ER.

"There's no time, for all we know the bleeding will continue and a fragment could be pinching a nerve. The last thing we need is for him to have more nerve damage to his right leg. I'm sure he already has enough nerve pain from the debridement after the infarction," Mathis explained as if this was obvious.

It should have been obvious to all the doctors present.

Rationally, Wilson knew that enough pressure to break the femur could also cause substantial vascular, nerve, and soft tissue damage.

House was at high risk for this type of damage, because he had little protection or "cushioning" due to the missing muscle. House was so slim that there certainly wasn't any "padding" from fat!

House's luck certainly predicted what came next. The unlucky head of diagnostics' eyelids began to flutter. The sudden trauma of the spasms must have triggered him awake. With a series of whimpers; he began to shift on the gurney. He was trying to turn and reach for his right thigh. The oncologist was shocked at how deep-seeded his best friend's fears were still, it seemed that his intense leg pain brought back his fears of Stacy and the way he was trying to reach for the leg caused Wilson's heart to ache. House was in a panic, fearing that his leg might have been amputated.

All of this movement was a disaster waiting to happen. Mathis grabbed House's hands and stopped the gurney.

"You're okay. Squeeze my hand. We're going to get you fixed up, deep breaths."

House was so out of it that he blearily attempted to obey through the pants and whimpers. Everyone knew it was bad, because House never attempted to obey or let people touch him when it wasn't totally necessary.

The orthopedist immediately regretted asking him to squeeze her hand. Adrenaline was not always a good thing!

With the hand not in House's clutches, Mathis ripped the sheet off of House's lower body in the middle of the hall.

The prickly diagnostician would be mortified if he knew his manhood was exposed in the open air for all to see. His greater fear would probably be the fact that his scarred thigh was also visible.

Thankfully, he was way too out of it to even notice.

House MD

From where Foreman was standing, he saw House's pelvic bone shift underneath his skin.

The muscular African-American heard it scrape in his mind. Just the thought was like fingernails on a chalkboard.

Mathis turned to the residents and snapped, "He's doing more damage! Grab a damn sedative before he shifts everything out of whack."

Dr. Felt had already run for a syringe before Mathis even ordered it.

He reappeared and plunged the medication home.

House began to droop and cease movement.

"Let's go!" Mathis ordered as the gurney began to move. "Somebody get several units of blood ready in the OR."

"I'm on it." Thirteen sprang into action.

Wilson, Foreman, Chase, Taub, and Cuddy all followed like some sort of procession.

A funeral procession flitted through Foreman's mind, but he quickly squashed that thought away.

His mental image changed to a bridal procession with House as the bride, Mathis the father of the bride, and himself, Chase, Taub, and Cuddy as bride's maids. Of course, Wilson brought up the rear as ring bearer. Foreman shook that image out of his head – now that was distressing.

House's gurney was now being pushed into the OR. Mathis and her residents broke off to get scrubbed in.

The skilled orthopedist ran everything smoothly, "Get a scope set up for me – I want a look around so I know where I'm cutting."

Several techs scurried to get everything set up.

Mathis yelled out, "Foreman, scrub in! I want you available to look for neurological damage."

He rapidly shook the image of his boss writhing in pain out of his head and replaced him with a faceless patient. He couldn't allow himself to think that they were about to dig into House's thigh.

This must become a random patient in Foreman's mind. People like Wilson could never create that separation, but he thought he could – for a while.

Mathis began to talk as they scrubbed in, "A fall like this never should have caused this much damage to his femur - it's one of the strongest bones in the body. Even with his muscle damage, this is weird."

House's second in command had spent so much time considering the prostate tumor and the tumor in the pelvic girdle that the femur had barely crossed his mind.

He figured he should tell Mathis, "Whenever I did the MRI this morning, there was a substantial shadow near the right femur. I figured it was associated with the damage from the infarction."

Mathis jumped in, "His infarction site should not have shown up like that. There must have been damage to the femur before the fall."

It seemed that no matter how much medicine Foreman studied, or how many patients he treated, there were still so many things he didn't know. He had just assumed the shadow had something to do with House's infarction. I guess he should stop making assumptions - he thought he was past that point in his career!

By the time the doctors were scrubbed in and entering the OR, the nurses had already cleansed House's leg with iodine and draped him. The anesthesiologist nodded that House was ready to go.

"What approach are you going to take Dr. Mathis," asked one of her residents.

"I'm going to cut in through the side of the thigh and take a look. I want to avoid cutting through the depression and scarring from the infarction if we can."

Mathis smoothly made an incision less than an inch long and inserted the scope. Foreman looked at the screen and immediately saw the problem.

Mathis saw the problem as well. "The problem is actually being caused by a tumor on the femur. When the muscle spasms started, it was the tumor that shifted causing the blood loss. We've got to get the tumor out. Foreman, keep checking the pulses in his leg."

He felt for pulses. "Nothing here."

She nodded and replied, "The blood flow was blocked when the tumor shifted and the bone punctured the artery. All the blood is flowing from the puncture, because it has to go somewhere and it can't travel through the artery that the tumor is blocking. Once we get the tumor away from the artery, blood should flow that way again and slow the spilling through the puncture. Path of least resistance – it's physics."

The orthopedic surgeon was still searching with the scope. "We need the best angle for getting the tumor out. You can see the area of bone erosion it has caused. The eroded bone essentially caused the fracture. Even if he didn't fall, this was a time bomb waiting to go off – or rather break."

Foreman was amazed how focused Mathis was even though she was talking away. She was the perfect Doctor for a teaching hospital.

Felt, the more involved resident, asked, "Can we even get in without cutting through the scarred area?"

Mathis grimaced, "Nope. This is a mess."

She requested a scalpel. "Here we go."

The neurologist watched as she started about 3 inches above his patella (or kneecap) and cut for about 6 inches.

When Foreman heard her ask the nurse to grab another oncologist to help evaluate the tumor he suggested, "Don't get Wilson. He can't be objective. Get someone else."

The nurse nodded and left.

Mathis continued, "Dr. Felt, suction this blood off. Hang a unit, blood is still spilling."

Even though Mathis was an oncologist as well as an orthopedic surgeon, Foreman was glad she was calling someone else in as well. He suspected that she wanted to move on to help her residents with the artery damage as soon as the tumor was away from the artery.

Foreman knew he had a tendency to be a control freak. Sometimes he had trouble calling others in. He knew sometimes you had to, but he still hesitated to bring others in on his own cases.

House solved that problem by employing a team of competent people and then getting oncology consults from Wilson.

He was amazed at how quickly Mathis was cutting and moving the tumor out of the way. He was very impressed with Mathis.

Foreman felt a pulse and snapped out of his thoughts. "I've got a pulse down here!" He didn't know how long they had been operating.

Felt chimed in, "The blood spill is slowing."

"Almost got the tumor away from the artery," Mathis replied. "Hang more blood, I'm not happy with his blood pressure."

Blood was now flowing where it should be and wasn't spilling out. The puncture caused by the bone was actually quite small now that blood was no longer spilling from it. It was amazing such a small hole could result in this much blood loss.

Mathis had gotten the tumor away from the vessel to stop him from bleeding out, but Foreman saw that there was still a good bit of tumor to dissect.

Foreman now found his eye drawn to the messy fracture in front of them. He felt relief that the immediate crisis and bleeding was under control, but it felt artificial in light of what was right in front of him.

"That's one crisis under control, but we need to get the rest of this tumor out and then deal with the fracture." Mathis seemed to read Foreman's mind.

"What about amputation?" Felt asked.

Foreman cringed at the word.

"Amputation wouldn't stop the spread of cancer because we know that this tumor is a metastasis from the prostate." Mathis started. They could already tell from testing that the cancer had started in the prostate.

"House would freak out anyway." Foreman had heard enough of the lecture House delivered to the med students that he had a pretty good understanding of the story behind House's infarction. He had grilled Wilson for the rest of the story later. House wouldn't want his leg amputated.

"If he's going to have the will to fight this, then amputation isn't a viable option," said a reluctant Foreman.

"Let's get the rest of this tumor out then."

House MD

A/N: Research has shown that a patient's will to live and their overall health has a direct correlation to cancer survival.

I forgot to mention that someone pointed out that I didn't distinguish between the original author's notes and mine in chapter 4, yes I did, *indicated their notes about Foreman* and I left them in their to show you why I didn't change it.

I'm sorry about the rant at the beginning, the stress of the three week history class and my upcoming final (tomorrow) has me on edge. Please review and let me know if you want me to continue.


	6. Chapter 6: Witty Remarks Casey Style

The Roommate's Sister

A/N: Thanks for all of the helpful reviews. To the guest reviewer, thanks for letting me know that I have yet to write an obligatory thanks to TetraFish06, without your astute comments, I might not have realized that until I was several chapters in. And I apologize if my last author's note sounded as if I was expecting you guys to already know about my visual impairment, that was not what I was implying, I just wanted to let you know that I wasn't being a total jacka** and not giving credit to the original author, to whom I respect gratefully for her diligent research into House's condition.

Disclaimer: I don't own House, nor do I have an MD after my name. A big thanks goes out to TetraFish06 who has let me play in her sandbox.

House MD

Once the tumor was removed, the doctors could see how much damage was caused by bone erosion from the tumor's growth. The fracture was not going to be fun, either.

"Are you going to use plates and pins?" Felt asked Mathis.

Mathis replied, "I want to do radiation on this area and he's going to need a lot more imaging studies. I don't want to see plates and pins blocking our view every time we need to test him."

Foreman jumped in, "What if we used a titanium alloy? He'd still be MRI safe."

"The titanium creates what we call the "black hole artifact" on MRI images. The titanium itself plus several millimeters of the surrounding area appear as empty space."

Foreman had never spent much time in orthopedics. This suddenly reminded him of the patient and his dominatrix that they had treated a while back. The whole team had totally missed an infection, because it was blocked by a metal plate in the guy's jaw.

Mathis continued, "I would prefer hardware in this case, but we need to avoid it. Although there is bone erosion, there is not so much that he would HAVE to have a metal implant in the area."

"We're fortunate that there isn't too much swelling right now to operate. Look at all the swelling around his hip. I'm glad that we didn't have any emergency bleeding there. Let's get this reduced and pieced together. Then we'll close and brace it for now. I'm not going to cast him because we're going to need access and there is no telling what we're going to need to do in the hip area."

By the time the bones were set, all the doctors were sweaty and tired. The incision had to be widened for the bone reduction and House now had a whole mess of stitches across the scarred area of his thigh extending into the healthy skin as well.

Once the thigh was braced, House had more x-rays and another MRI to thoroughly assess damage to the hip and pelvic girdle.

It would have been procedure to keep House in recovery until he was fully awake, but with all of his past health problems, they knew he would freak out if he woke in recovery or the ICU. He would expend his energy ranting.

They decided to go ahead and get him moved to a room and set up, so that they could get the movement over with while he was still sedated.

House MD

Casey was dozing and Claudia was getting bored. The nurses had been in and out to monitor him, but Dr. Wilson hadn't been back and she hadn't heard much in the way of juicy gossip – unless you counted new posters in the ladies restroom.

The doors to the room opened and she could see a whole herd of doctors bringing in a patient.

Her brother jerked awake and began to watch with rapt attention. "Look at all those doctors – must be a sick one!" Fortunately, he wasn't loud enough for the doctors to hear – Claudia would have been totally embarrassed if they had heard.

She was always somewhat mortified by Casey's sense of entertainment, but she couldn't help but watch as well.

They noticed Doctor Wilson was one of the doctors. Since they were in the oncology ward, it would be pretty safe to assume that this was a cancer patient.

Normally patients were moved around like this by orderlies, nurses, and nurse's aids, so it did seem odd that the doctors actually seemed to be doing all of the lifting, equipment hook-up, etc.

Once the patient was actually in the bed and things were hooked up, all but two of the doctors left the room.

Dr. Wilson and a middle aged female doctor were the only two remaining.

The patient had a large brace on his right leg and a wedge shaped pillow between his legs with elastic bandages wrapped around his legs holding it in place. There were also bandages around the patient's hips.

A nurse rolled in a small machine that looked like an ice chest. Dr. Wilson and the nurse supported the patient, while the other doctor wrapped a wide blue band around the patient's hips. The largest part of the band was situated around the man's right hip, lower back, and waist.

The nurse left the room while Dr. Wilson and the woman connected the band to a couple of hoses that ran into the machine.

The nurse came back with a large bag of ice and some water, which she dumped into the machine.

They turned the machine on, and it made a low whooshing sound. "That should get the swelling down. Shirley, make sure you come in and check that this isn't leaking. We don't want any water getting on his leg."

Shirley responded, "Yes, Dr. Wilson. Are you or Dr. Mathis the physician of record?"

"I am." The female doctor jumped in quickly. Dr. Wilson looked like he wanted to say something, but he just glared.

Claudia now knew that the woman's name was Dr. Mathis. She exchanged looks with Casey, and they both filed that away for information.

Shirley, the nurse, left.

Dr. Wilson and Dr. Mathis arranged pillows on either side of the patient's hips and put up the bed's rails.

Dr. Mathis checked the oxygen cannula in the patient's nose, gave Dr. Wilson a nod, and left the room.

The hospital room had a single bathroom intended for both patients.

Dr. Wilson gave Casey and Claudia a tight smile as he walked into the restroom.

They heard him turn the sink on.

He walked out with a wet washcloth and began to wipe the patient's face down. The patient didn't react.

Claudia and Casey exchanged looks.

Her ever inquisitive brother mumbled, "What is he doing?"

Claudia answered, "Washing his face."

Dr. Wilson was so focused on the patient that he didn't notice them.

"Duh!" Casey replied, "Doctors don't usually do that kind of thing."

Wilson was now wiping the patient's armpits and whispering something to him. Claudia found this just a bit creepy and was wondering if Dr. Wilson was a good choice as her brother's doctor. He had a good reputation and came highly recommended, but this was weird.

After straightening out the patient's gown, Dr. Wilson seemed to compose himself and then walked over to pick up Casey's chart.

"How's it going?" Wilson focused on Casey.

Casey bluntly answered, "Right out my rear."

"Oh, well. We'll do some imaging tomorrow to see if the digestive tract is clear, and then we'll have you drink a different solution to do a final cleansing. If there is any food or wastes remaining in your system, it increases your chances of infection. Do you have any questions?"

"Not about the tests and the delectable solution that I'll get the pleasure of drinking tomorrow. Why doesn't the television show anything but basic TV? I'm missing re-runs of the Big Bang Theory."

"The patient rooms don't come with cable. You have to pay extra."

"Doesn't anybody understand that oncology patients might be dying, to deny us the supreme luxury of cable TV is absurd!" Casey demanded.

Wilson smiled fondly, "You remind me of a friend of mine. But I was referring to your upcoming surgery."

"Casey, if I hear you being so demanding again, I won't give Nurse Shirley permission to add the expense for cable to our hospital bill. Besides, you know I absolutely hate that stupid show anyways."

"I don't have any questions. See ya later." Casey dismissed Dr. Wilson.

Claudia got the impression that Dr. Wilson wasn't quite sure how to react, "Okay then."

"Thank you," Claudia threw in a smile for good measure.

Dr. Wilson stopped at the other bed one more time and left the room.

"Why do you always suck up to doctors?" Casey asked with a scowl.

"I'm just being polite. You want the doctors to like you and not avoid you! It is good for your health and well-being." His sister sarcastically replied.

"Whatever – he has a pocket protector. Did you see it – lined with plastic and everything."

Casey gestured to the other patient, "I wonder why that dude is in here. It looks like he has orthopedic issues. This is the cancer wing. I hope that Wilson guy isn't that confused."

"Maybe he has cancer as well – there are all kinds of cancer. Don't make assumptions about people." Claudia answered.

"His chart is hanging on the foot of the bed. Why don't you grab it and we can take a look?"

"NO! Quite frankly, it is none of our business what is wrong with him! That would be invasion of privacy."

"What if he has some sort of mutant contagious disease? I deserve to know!" He attempted to look worried and legitimately concerned.

"He would be in one of those isolation rooms and not in a room with other people, you idiot. You just want an excuse to be nosey."

Casey sighed. Claudia knew him way too well.

She jokingly asked, "So, do you think he's a sick enough roommate to keep you suitably entertained?"

"You kidding? All those doctors just to move him into the room – he just better wake up before my surgery. With the amount of traffic in and out of here, he's going to be all kinds of fun!"

House MD

A/N: Does anyone else besides Wilson see the similarity between House and Casey?

I just had to add in the lines about cable, it's obviously a reference to where House got all irate at Cuddy when the hospital started charging patients for cable. He went totally nuts then, and I hope that Casey's outrage was tangible as well.

I did excellent on my final today, so I'm going to post this chapter today. You might get another update before the night is over. But that largely depends on if I finish the next chapter and post it in time for a Harry Potter story of mine. If I do manage that, chapter seven will be coming to a computer near you probably at like ten my time this evening.


	7. Chapter 7: Utter Chaos

The Roommate's Sister

A/N: Hope you guys liked the bit that I added last chapter with Casey and his sister's disagreement about the Big Bang Theory. I know that my mom would act exactly like she did if I was as precocious of a child as Casey was. Plus it added in some more drama. I'm going to post the remaining chapters as fast as I can, that way you guys can read new material. TetraFish was a very prolific writer, and I'm honored that she's allowed me to continue her work.

Disclaimer: David Shore owns full rights to House, and TetraFish came up with this marvelous verse; she's been kind enough to let me play in her sandbox.

House MD

Chapter Seven: Utter Chaos

Everything seemed to happen in a flurry of activity after the surgery. During the surgery, Taub, Thirteen, Chase, Cuddy, and Wilson had evaluated all of the blood work and the MRI from that morning. Now they had a decent idea of what was going on. The other oncologist from the surgery had biopsied the tumor from House's femur and now had those results back to them.

All this progress just goes to show how much can be accomplished when the dean of medicine, two department heads, and six other doctors obsessed over a single patient.

It didn't matter how late at night it was, everyone was intensely focused even if their body language told of exhaustion.

Based on MRI results and the blood tests, everyone was in agreement that House was definitely looking at prostate cancer.

Foreman knew that early prostate cancer showed almost no symptoms, so there was really no telling how long this had been festering.

The quantity of calcium in House's blood and the cancerous tumor they had just removed from his femur almost guaranteed that the growth on his pelvic girdle was a secondary malignancy as well.

It probably caused the pain that prompted House to order the MRI in the first place.

Wilson was currently ranting about cancer. He seemed to have some irrational idea that he was going to start House on cancer treatments TONIGHT!

Foreman looked at the boney mess on the images of House's hip area and realized that they would have to deal with this before they could even think about doing much else.

The neurologist's analytical pondering was interrupted by Wilson and Mathis.

Apparently Wilson wanted House in surgery right this minute to fix the bones – he wanted to do it while House was still out. He probably wasn't far from waking.

"I am not comfortable surgically repairing this until the swelling has gone down some. We need to keep ice wraps on him and keep his lower body still until we can operate." Dr. Mathis seemed quite confident in her statement.

Just glancing at all of the swelling on House's body during the surgery, Foreman agreed with her.

"When the swelling is down, we will operate to remove the tumor from his pelvic girdle and set the bones. I'm going to order a special brace that is adjustable for swelling after the surgery." Mathis's plan made sense.

James replied, "If we aren't casting, then swelling shouldn't be as much of an issue. I thought you said you would be able to adjust the brace to accommodate swelling."

"When I said it was adjustable for swelling, I meant POST-OP swelling! With this much pre-op swelling, I'm not going to be able to maneuver inside his body and have a good view of what I'm doing. That will just result in even larger incisions. The swelling has to go down first!"

"Insert a scope during the surgery and you can view with the camera instead of cutting as much," Wilson threw out.

He seemed to think that Mathis had never performed surgery before.

"That would be a nightmare with this much swelling. It would be too risky," Mathis hissed at Wilson.

The neurologist saw this getting out of hand, "Wait until he wakes up and let him decide."

The female orthopedist decided to back out of this match and let things play out before pleading her case.

Wilson asserted "He doesn't exactly have a lot of options."

Foreman responded, "If he knows what's going on before he wakes up after surgery, he might be calmer and less pissed!"

"Do you have any idea what kind of pain he'll be in?" James was growing more emphatic by the moment.

Foreman responded, "House is tough. He'd rather know and suffer than be left in the dark."

"I still think we should handle the bones right now, so that we can get cancer treatments started."

Cuddy jumped in – she knew Wilson was reacting as House's best friend and as an oncologist instead of assessing the situation as a whole. "Wilson, I know you are in such a hurry to get this done so that you can start cancer treatments. Early treatment is important, but a little time to get the swelling down is not going to make a difference with the stage he is at."

"You don't know that," House's best friend declared.

"What I do know is that he is going to have to live with the outcome of this orthopedic surgery for the rest of his life, and we need to wait a bit and do this surgery right." Cuddy certainly knew how to plead her case.

"You say that as if you can assume he'll get past the cancer. That isn't automatic. Some people would select palliative treatment at this point."

Foreman was shocked at Wilson's apparent pessimism. He knew things weren't good, but for Wilson to be so openly negative was a surprise.

The neurologist jumped in, "House isn't some people!"

He realized that Cuddy had stepped in again. "House is a fighter. When he survives the cancer and ends up trapped in a wheelchair with no mobility, because you hurried his surgery in an effort to get cancer treatments started sooner, he won't be happy. He wouldn't want to live like that. This is House's body, not yours. If we follow Mathis's plan, you will have to wait to start treating the cancer, but he'll be able to walk when this is all over."

Foreman realized that the dean of medicine certainly could sum things up pretty well.

When they received a page that House was waking, it seemed the decision was made for them.

House MD

Casey was asleep and Claudia was just returning from the vending machine when the other patient moved his head a bit. She hated to admit it, but she really did want to read his chart. Though she certainly wasn't about to reveal this to Casey, he was a handful all on his own, without her encouragement of his antics.

Claudia had just sat down when she heard a low moan and some whimpering from the patient across the room. She thought for sure that a nurse would notice, but there weren't as many nurses on the floor late at night in any hospital.

He was starting to shift around and move his arms. She decided that he might be trying to reach his call button.

Claudia got up and walked across the room. As soon as she looked at the patient, she realized it was Dr. House! This was the same man she had seen yelling in the lobby and then drooping in the elevator. He had looked bad then, but he looked horrible now.

She reached towards his call button, but he opened his eyes at just that moment. She was trapped in his beautiful, blue eyes.

They were filled with pain and looked panicked, but nonetheless, they were stunning.

His flailing hand grabbed hers. This really took her by surprise, and she wasn't quite sure how to react.

Casey's sister figured he was scared and in pain, so she sat in the chair next to his bed and held his hand.

Claudia was so busy staring at his eyes that she forgot her original plan to press his call button. She reached forward and pressed the call button with her other hand. He was tightly gripping her hand like some kind of anchor.

A nurse came in and approached his bed, "What is it?"

The ill doctor didn't immediately reply so she responded, "He just woke up and was moaning. I think he's in pain."

"I agree. His heart-rate is up."

The nurse bent over, "Dr. House, do you know where you are?"

"Yaaahhhh. Damm it! Uuugghhh." House's breath was coming in harsh gulps.

"Was that a yes? Where are you?" the nurse persisted.

"What day is it?"

Claudia was getting frustrated. She knew the nurse needed to do her job, so she tried to be polite. "I think he's distracted by the pain."

The nurse turned to Claudia, "I'm going to page his doctor. Do you mind?"

The nurse vaguely gestured toward Claudia's hand. She realized the nurse was asking if she minded holding his hand. He didn't seem to be letting go anyway, so she responded, "No problem."

Over the course of Casey's illness, she certainly spent enough time around him when he was ill. Sick people didn't bother her. Her brother was never much of a hand holder.

Of course, based on what she saw this morning, she wouldn't have pegged Dr. House as a hand holder, either.

It didn't take long for Dr. Wilson and Dr. Mathis to enter the room and more doctors to appear in the hallway.

Dr. Mathis hustled to House's bedside totally ignoring Claudia.

She checked his stats and turned to her residents, "Up his pain meds. Stick to non-narcotic."

Her resident responded, "He's almost at the safe limit."

"Then raise him to the safe limit!" Dr. Mathis was definitely a woman you don't want to mess with.

As the resident pushed the meds, Mathis and Wilson watched the patient's vitals.

His body relaxed slightly, but he was obviously still miserable.

Mathis spoke calmly, "Dr. House, be still. We are trying to keep your lower body as immobile as possible, because we haven't repaired the damage to your hip and pelvis."

House took a deep breath and responded through gritted teeth, "I kind of gathered that something wasn't right judging by the pain! You haven't put me on narcotics have you?"

Mathis answered, "No, do you want to consider narcotics?" Wilson sent her the best glare he could muster.

"NO. I worked too hard to get off the vicodin. I can't go through that again. I'd rather suffer the pain." House ground out through harsh breathing.

James Wilson jumped in, "There is quite a bit of damage to your hip and your bad leg."

"Really? I never would have guessed." House's sarcasm was definitely intact. "Let's get past the obvious and you tell me EXACTLY what is going on." he ground out.

Mathis calmly informed him, "There is a large growth positioned in your right pelvic girdle. It has begun to weaken the bones around it. Whenever you fell in the hall, the impact caused the tumor to shift and the weakened pelvic bone broke in several places. Your hip also broke. Whenever you fell there was a lot of impact onto your right thigh. Due to the lack of muscle protecting the area, your femur broke on impact. You went through a bleeding crisis, so we already removed a significant tumor from your femur and reduced the fracture. Fortunately there are no free-floating particles in the hip area. We currently have you stabilized with an abduction pillow between your legs to hold your hips in place temporarily and a brace on your right leg to protect and support the area we have already operated on. There are also bandages around your hip. We need to tell you our orthopedic treatment plan and get your approval to proceed with surgery, as soon as the swelling goes down."

Wilson butted in, "…or sooner."

Unfortunately the oncologist saw that his best friend was zoned in on Mathis as a source for answers.

Deep down, Wilson knew he should probably give up on rushing the surgery and just be patient and wait for the swelling to go down. The thing about being an oncologist right now was that he knew just how dangerous the cancer was. It scared the living daylights out of him to know that these cancerous masses were in his best friend's body.

"What kind of surgery?" House asked. The pain was so bad that he continued to squeeze Claudia's hand without noticing the fact that he was seeking comfort from a total stranger.

"Dr. House, the main thing I'm concerned about is that we get as much of the tumor as possible out so that we can repair the pelvis and get you more comfortable. Your hip, at the head of the femur, is also broken so we will be repairing that all in one whack."

Wilson broke in, "Ideally we'd consider leaving the tumor in, so that we can watch it for a response to the cancer treatments, but Mathis and I ..."

Without thought, House darted up to a sitting position, "Cancer?" Before anyone had a chance to respond House let out a low whine from the abrupt movement and Wilson and Mathis attempted to ease him back against the bed while keeping his shifting body as still as possible. He squeezed Claudia's hand pretty hard at this point, but she didn't let go.

Despite the panting and grunts coming from House, he responded, "I thought we were just talking about a fracture and some benign growths or something."

Wilson carefully phrased, "Well, we didn't actually say that…"

Before he could finish his sentence House broke in, "Get talking and lay the facts on the table before I strangle you!"

With the squeeze he just gave Claudia's hand, she had no doubt he was capable of strangling someone right now.

Wilson attempted to placate him, "Let's just worry about the bones and getting you comfortable and then…"

Through gritted teeth House demanded, "I want to know what is going on in MY body RIGHT NOW."

Despite the pain, House was remarkably focused. He had plenty of practice dealing with pain and continuing to do his job and other daily activities.

Judging from House's demeanor and knowing his reputation, Mathis knew that Dr. House was the kind of guy that wanted the cold hard truth without the warm, fuzzy feelings.

Dr. Wilson seemed to be more concerned with managing the situation and making decisions FOR House.

As their fiery patient's heart rate started to climb, Mathis quickly realized that she needed to take over the situation.

"You have stage IV prostate cancer that has spread and metastasized to the bones of your pelvis/hip area. You had a large metastatic tumor on your right femur that has been removed. Although the prostate cancer and the metastasis to your bones are the primary threats to your life, we need to get the bones stable before we can begin treating the cancer. Once we've stabilized your bones, a central line will be placed in preparation for chemotherapy."

Despite the horrible news, ironically House's heart rate and breathing seemed to calm down. Not knowing was scarier than knowing something horrible.

Mathis continued, "We don't know how many cancerous areas we may be dealing with, but we do know the prostate is the original source of cancer and that you are definitely looking at some scary stuff."

Wilson seemed to be holding his breath and staring at Dr. Mathis with bugged out eyes and fear.

The head of oncology obviously intended to keep the cancer diagnosis from House for as long as possible – if only his tongue hadn't slipped out the word "cancer." Wilson was terrified that he might be willing to throw in the towel once he knew the treatments, surgeries, and extended recovery period he was looking at.

With the severity of the cancer and the treatments he would be going through, it would be a minor miracle if the orthopedic issues could even heal in a timely manner through the chaos his body would be put through.

After hearing all of this, House would know his odds for survival. He was not exactly known as Dr. Optimism.

Much to Wilson's surprise, House took a deep breath and gave a short half-nod.

"Ordinarily I would repair this surgically with several plates, pins, and screws. Unfortunately, Dr. Wilson and I are both concerned with the difficulties the internal fixation could cause for monitoring and treating the cancer. The plates will definitely block our radiological view of the areas currently plagued with cancer. I will want to start radiation on the area almost immediately and the plates will also complicate that. Medical cementing is out for the same reasons."

"Instead of listing all of the procedures that won't work, let's hear something that will!" House grunted in pain trying to get comfortable without moving – as if that was possible.

"My plan is to open you up and remove as much of the tumor as possible. By removing the tumor, I'll have enough space to maneuver the pieces of bone back into proper placement. In order to hold everything together, I'm going to place you in a modified hip spica brace. It will keep you immobilized and hold all the pieces of bone firmly in place. I already got your measurements while you were out and I have put in a rush order. It is made from a hard plastic substance, but is designed so that you will be able to wear it through testing. I double-checked and the hip spread will even allow for MRI imaging while wearing it! It really is an orthopedic marvel."

House was starting to get irritated. "Geez, Mathis, don't sound so excited about the damn brace!"

"I've never had cause to use a customized brace of this kind! Normally I would be able to use internal hardware to patch you up. The avoidance of hardware creates all kinds of challenges. I guess my excitement is a bit insensitive."

Wilson threw in, "Don't worry about it. You're talking to the king of insensitivity."

Mathis actually seemed thrilled with the whole situation. Her love of challenges was much like House's own. Nothing like an exceptionally rare, serious illness to get him excited. He would probably be fascinated if this wasn't his own body involved and the pain of multiple broken bones wasn't surging through his body.

House grumbled, "Fine, let's hear the features. I might as well know what I'm going to wake up from the surgery trapped in!"

"It will start below your nipple line..."

"You've got to be kidding me. We're treating my pelvis, not my freakin' ribs."

"We have to keep you stable or you won't heal safely and correctly."

House knew these things as a doctor, but certainly didn't wish to acknowledge the facts in his current predicament. Gregory House always liked protesting anyway.

After he sighed, Mathis continued, "Anyway, it will start below your nipple line, immobilize your lower back, cradle your hips to hold the entire pelvic girdle firmly in place, and immobilize your thighs at a slight angle to your spine. The brace will keep your right knee slightly bent and the hard shell will extend past the ankle and around your foot on the right side since we also need to stabilize the break in your femur. There is Velcro allowing us to open the right leg portion of the brace since the site of your infarction will require close monitoring. Your body as a whole will have to be monitored closely for clots. You will be able to bend your left knee and have free movement of the lower left leg."

"Well, yipee!"

"That feature will at least keep you more comfortable. There is additional Velcro so that we can open portions of the brace to monitor and clean your incisions and minimize skin breakdown."

"As you know, immobilization of this kind will put you at risk for other medical problems, so I will have physical and respiratory therapists coming in daily to monitor and work with you. The physical therapist will exercise your upper body and left leg while guiding you through muscle engagement exercises for your abs and other muscle groups. It will be very important to prevent muscle atrophy as much as possible."

"We'll use gauze and cast padding to make you as comfortable as possible and maintain a snug and supportive fit. You will need to be shifted and turned regularly to prevent bed sores and skin breakdown. I will also be consulting with a dermatologist. Once you start chemo, it will be very important to make sure that we keep the risk of skin infections as low as possible. We will need to aggressively treat the malignancies in your bones. It is possible that we may find more when we open you up and when we continue testing after this next surgery. We will start radiation on these areas as soon as possible. The logistics of managing the orthopedic injuries if you develop radiation burns may be a nightmare, but we'll just have to cross that bridge if we get there. We will have to be very careful with you."

Wilson was watching House because he was expecting him to freak out or throw a tantrum of protestations at any moment. Mathis, Wilson, and the other doctors had decided this orthopedic treatment path was the most viable, but Wilson was still surprised that his stubborn friend didn't want to throw in his two cents.

He also knew that Greg liked to take risks. After testing, viewing the current breaks, and probing the area Wilson cringed at how fragile House's body was right now. It was a minor miracle that he hadn't broken bones sooner doing something as mundane as sitting down too hard. Wilson suspected it was because House unconsciously takes care with any movements involving his right leg and that incorporates the hip and pelvic area just by proxy.

There was no way House could have protected himself against this fall. (Unless you consider staying out of the halls, never standing up, or leashing all small children in a 100 foot radius around House viable options) Of course, now, they would be keeping House away from all of these things in addition to anything that could possibly cause an infection or jar his body in any way. Heck, they would be rolling him over bumps in and out of the elevator with caution to avoid jarring him. Even though PPTH was a teaching hospital, Wilson would personally be making sure that inexperienced orderlies or nurses never lifted, transferred, or turned him.

Wilson knew that Greg would freak out when people would have to start lifting him since he would be virtually unable to move himself after this surgery, and now for that matter.

House had never been one to do well with feelings of helplessness. After the infarction he had issues with people just seeing him using a wheelchair. Yet, he could use a wheelchair for a week just to win a stupid bet over parking spaces. Sometimes House's rationale was just plain ridiculous. Wilson supposed that must be because people knew that he didn't technically "need" the wheelchair. The abrasive doctor didn't want anyone to see him "dependent" on a wheelchair.

Knowing Greg and his tendency to take risks, he might actually believe that minimally stabilizing the bones would be an acceptable risk to take. He might be satisfied with an elastic support and ACE bandages. (…and the first time he reflexively sat up to vomit after a chemo session he would jar Mathis's hard work and any healing he had done apart and find himself with bone fragments and more surgery).

This brace would protect him from situations like that, promote a more precise fusion of the bones, and hopefully speed up their knitting back together.

All of these thoughts flew through Wilson's head in a matter of seconds.

He realized Mathis was still talking, "Of course, there is a totally open area to give us access for managing your bowel and bladder functions."

Claudia felt intensely uncomfortable holding a perfect stranger's hand through this kind of personal information. He certainly was perfect, though. She couldn't quit staring at his eyes as he was processing all these things. She could see in his eyes how intelligent he was and how fast his brain was processing things.

Wilson cringed awaiting House's response to the bomb Mathis just dropped...

"What do you mean US managing MY bowel and bladder functions?"

James was watching House's heart rate start to climb. "House, calm down. The cancer is already wreaking havoc on your body, but your fall and orthopedic issues will just complicate everything. We'll get through this."

"What do you mean WE?"

House tightened his hold on her hand at this point. He still didn't seem to register the fact that he was holding her hand.

As an oncologist, Wilson wasn't well-versed on exactly what was involved in managing this severe of an orthopedic injury. Of course, all of this was an "add-on" to House's previous infarction and the cancer they found. Wilson also knew that his chronic leg pain was a factor in all of Mathis's decisions – the nerve pain would be particularly challenging.

With the level of immobility House would be facing, things would be a nightmare before you even considered the cancer. Of course, if it wasn't for the cancer, Mathis could just patch all the orthopedic damage up with some hardware and House wouldn't be out of commission for as long. Of course, that was irrelevant since the cancer was definitely present.

Wilson remembered all the problems House's independent nature caused with the infarction recovery. As a compensation mechanism he had become even more independent to avoid people noticing his leg handicap. Now, House was looking at problems far more debilitating than the infarction. Wilson would just have to deal with House's current freaking-out and take this one step at a time from now on. James would be going one step at a time anyway. It sounded like House wouldn't be stepping anywhere for quite a while.

Of course, House's stubborn nature could also work in his favor regarding this cancer.

Mathis was still rattling off the features involved in this orthopedic device she had ordered, "They weren't going to be able to get it assembled for you in a timely manner until I explained that the brace was for THE Dr. House."

Wilson definitely agreed with his friend that Mathis's fascination with the brace was pretty morbid.

She was a superb orthopedic surgeon, though.

Wilson abruptly realized House was actually laughing.

"Whoo-hoo lucky me! My status in the medical community lands me all sorts of perks. Two department heads detailing a surgery and a stupid brace and look at the Dean of Medicine lurking in the hall eavesdropping! Oh check it out; I think the head of nursing is peering in as well. Chase, Foreman, Thirteen, and Taub are all getting updates - aren't they? Yet I can't get a private room!"

"House, you know that with the renovations there are no private rooms available right now..." Wilson stopped talking as he realized that House's irrational laughter had now turned into choked sobs. The laughter must have jarred House's broken bones. Smooth.

The head of oncology knew that a broken pelvis, hip, and femur would be quite painful, but House must be going through hell with his always painful thigh complicating matters.

He definitely was not looking forward to the road they were headed down.

Mathis calmly stated, "We're going to keep the ice pump going so that we can get the swelling down enough to do the surgery."

She made eye contact with Wilson, "We're going to go ahead and give you a light sedative to help you relax until the swelling is down enough to start the pre-op. Is that okay?"

Wilson knew that was a dangerous question to ask House.

Much to his surprise, Greg gave a tight nod and tried to get himself under control.

Claudia gave his hand a light squeeze and he turned her way and mumbled, "Thanks."

Claudia gave him a slight nod and moved to the other side of the room to sit next to Casey.

Wilson left to get the sedative. Damn that stupid kid running through the hall - it was a good thing that he didn't know where the little brat had gotten off to.

House MD

A/N: Thanks for taking the time to read the fic, especially for those of you who have already read the original. Please take the time to leave a short review on your way out. I don't bite, promise.


	8. Chapter 8: Strangers

The Roommate's Sister

Thank you so much for all of your reviews, favorites, and alerts. I appreciate it. There is a bit more Claudia and House interaction here. (For the sake of this story, Wilson and Sam are still together)

Disclaimer: Does it look like I have an MD after my name? Nope I didn't think so.

Chapter 8: Strangers

House MD

As soon as House was sedated, Wilson went to his office to gather his things. He was planning to head home for a shower and some sleep. Chase was going to sit with him for a while, so that Foreman could get cleaned up and catch a few hours of sleep and then Foreman was going to sit with him. The oncologist didn't even want to speculate on what Taub and Thirteen were up too, though when he had inquired about it from Thirteen, she would only say that they had an errand to run for their boss, which James took to mean that he had ordered his underlings to search their current patient's home. This all meant that Chase and Foreman were left to look after their superior in shifts.

Wilson was mentally, physically, and emotionally drained after everything that had happened that afternoon and evening. House was undoubtedly the most important person in his life – definitely the longest friendship or relationship of any kind that Wilson had maintained. Sam was important now, but House and Wilson's history was huge.

He knew they were looking at a nightmare of treatments and a hellish recovery for House…if he recovered. The whole concept of his best friend having cancer scared the living daylights out of him.

As soon as they had the results, Wilson had faxed them to one oncologist at Princeton General, two from the Mayo Clinic, one from Hopkins, and one from Trenton. Most of them were people he knew from conferences and people he had worked with in the past. The heading he used was EMERGENCY CONSULT – BEST FRIEND HAS CANCER.

Of the five consult requests, he had received replies to three of them and talked to a fourth doctor on the phone who was a fairly close friend. Three of the four, including the one he talked to on the phone with for about an hour, recommended palliative treatment to keep House comfortable and prolong his quality of life. They thought trying to get him in remission would be giving him false hope, would shorten his time left, and cause unnecessary suffering. The side effects would be horrible.

He didn't know if he could cause his best friend that kind of suffering if it was all in vain, but he wanted House to live. It may be selfish, but Wilson wasn't sure he cared about his motives. He told himself that he could justify his selfish desires by considering all of the hundreds of people House could save if he lived.

The people Wilson requested consults from were some of the doctors he respected and often sought the opinions of – and usually took their advice.

He knew whose advice he really wanted – both medically and personally. He wanted to talk to his best friend from med school. Matt was one of the finest oncologists in the profession. His status in oncology was about like House's status in diagnostics and infectious disease.

He had two problems:

It was midnight

Their friendship had suffered a major falling out and he hadn't even spoken to Matt in two years

Wilson didn't think he would be able to sleep. He figured the worse that could happen would be Matt hanging up on him – or cussing him out. He sat down at his desk and started sending files to Matt. Once he got everything sent, he took a deep breath and dialed his number.

Fortunately, Matt answered his phone and was actually happy to hear from Wilson. He looked at everything Wilson had sent him and they talked through all of the results as well as the potential ramifications of the results they were still waiting on.

After giving Matt all the facts, Wilson held his breath for a verdict.

"Based on everything you've told me so far, I would recommend palliative treatment for most people. Explain his options, but it doesn't look great. Tell me about his personality and experiences."

Oh dear. Wilson had no idea what Matt was looking for here, so he launched into everything he could think of about House. He went through the infarction experience, gunshot wounds, deep brain stimulation…

When the oncologist was finished, Matt replied, "He sounds like one tough son-of-a-gun. If he's game, it sounds like he has the willpower. You said he was a doctor, do I know him?"

Great – for all Wilson knew House might have met Matt at some point and made an enemy.

Here goes, "It is possible. His name is Greg House."

"THE Doctor House? As in Gregory House, genius diagnostician? I've never met him, but I've certainly heard of him and read a bunch of his stuff. I even have some of the audiotapes from when he used to lecture and speak at conferences."

Wilson didn't even know there were audiotapes available. It sounded like he was dealing with a regular "Fan Girl."

"This sounds as selfish as all get out, but I'd love to meet him. If nothing else, he needs to do treatment for the sake of the medical community. Losing his medical mind would be a real tragedy." Matt seemed pretty emphatic at this point.

"Losing him as a person would be a greater tragedy."

"Of course," Matt sounded a bit more somber now.

"Well, thanks Matt. I appreciate your advice and the time you've given me so late at night."

"Listen, James, keep in touch. If you need anything I would be happy to fly out some time. Goodnight."

That went surprisingly well. Wilson was discouraged by Matt's original assessment and general recommendation of palliative treatment, but things ended on a high note.

He saw that it was almost two am, so he headed home to shower and get some sleep.

House MD

House woke up very early the next morning in a lot of pain, but it wasn't as bad as when he first woke up yesterday. They must have left him maxed out on pain meds. Their effect was pretty pathetic, but he figured it was better than nothing. He thought about asking if there was anything else, but decided to suck it up and try to distract himself. He still didn't want to resort to narcotics. The hallucinations were way too scary.

Foreman was sitting in the chair next to the bed reading a medical journal.

House's voice was weak, but he was mentally clear. "Foreman, how's our patient?"

The neurologist knew exactly what his boss meant, but he couldn't believe he was asking at a time like this.

Well, knowing House, he didn't have trouble believing it at all.

Foreman's reply was somewhat sarcastic, "Well, he lost a substantial amount of blood yesterday evening and ended up having major surgery on bones and arteries. We had to transfuse him with several units of blood just to keep him alive. Currently, we're icing him because he's going to need another major surgery soon. We're not sure he's strong enough right now to handle another dose of anesthesia and everything the surgery will entail. The blood loss has made him very weak. Unfortunately, his heart rate is rising because he's busy worrying about other things."

House interrupted, "HIS heart rate is rising because his employee won't answer a simple question!"

"Relax, you need to stay calm and let yourself recover as much as possible before your next surgery."

House insisted, "I seem to have heard somewhere that the patient you're talking about is pretty stubborn. I need to know how OUR patient is doing!"

"House…"

Sometimes honesty is the best policy – even if it is embarrassing at times.

House interrupted in a quiet voice, "I need something to distract me from the pain. Go get the file."

With one last glare, Foreman reluctantly got up. "I'll grab the file and see if the others have any more results. I'll look in on the patient."

Once the diagnosticion was a little more awake and Foreman was gone, he started to evaluate his body and realized how uncomfortable he really was. His right leg hurt like bloody murder and he had what felt like shock waves moving through his hip and into his thigh. He decided that maybe if he shifted a little bit that he would feel better. He grabbed the bedrail and tried to move his hip over a bit. The searing pain made House gasp and he actually thought he might pass out for a minute. He decided that was a bad plan and let go of the rail. The doctor noticed that he had managed to move himself less than an inch. Great

Maybe if he was still the pain would stay at a moderately unbearable level. Although he would never admit it, the icy water circulating around his hip felt really good.

The catheter was making his penis hurt and the area was really itchy. Now that he saw what ignoring his pain and the changes in his body for so long got him, he decided he should check this out. He considered raising the bed a bit and leaning forward to take a look, but he quickly realized that was probably a very bad plan. His one inch shift a few minutes ago about killed the prideful doctor.

His pride told him not to, but his rational thinking forced him to go ahead and hit the call button for a nurse.

Before the nurse had time to ask how he was feeling (dumb question) he jumped in, "My penis, testicles, and the surrounding areas are itching and burning."

"I'll take a look." The nurse calmly pulled House's gown up and examined the area.

With the sudden draft, House realized he wasn't wearing any boxers or even those thin paper underwear they sometimes give people after catheterization. Delightful!

"Your catheter looks fine, but there is a rash and a good deal of irritation down here. The area should really be wiped down with an antiseptic and then we can apply a cream, but the abduction pillow between your legs holding your hips still is in the way. I better notify your doctor so that we can get some assistance accessing the area."

House had really hoped to deal with this little issue on the down low and keep it between him and the nurse, but it appeared that wouldn't be possible.

Just then, Foreman entered. Spectacular.

The nurse spotted him, "Oh, Dr. Foreman. I was just about to page a doctor. Dr. House has a good deal of irritation in the testicular region and around his penis. It needs to be cleansed, but I cannot get good access to it due to the abduction pillow stabilizing his hips."

House wondered if the nurse could speak any louder if she tried.

Foreman approached, "Let me take a look."

This was just lovely – his employee was now inspecting his thoroughly irritated "man parts."

House tried to think of a crude joke, but he really didn't have it in him.

"I agree that it needs antiseptic cleansing and some topical cream, but I really don't want to jar his hips any because that would be quite painful. We won't be able to use a towel or cloth on the area, but we can access the area with some cotton swabs."

The nurse seemed to agree, "Yes doctor, I'll get the supplies."

At least Foreman was cool and impersonal about the situation.

"I brought the file." His employee handed House the file and began to brief him on the patient.

House wasn't about to tell Foreman that he couldn't read the file without his glasses, so he went ahead and opened it. He figured he'd just ask Foreman his questions.

The nurse returned with the supplies and Foreman began to assist her in treating House's privates.

House felt like crawling under the bed and dieing. Unfortunately, he wouldn't be crawling anywhere anytime soon.

Foreman started a differential on the patient with House as he worked and they had some new ideas by the time the antiseptic wash was complete and the cream had been applied.

As the neurologist removed his gloves and made a note in House's chart, he told him, "I'll go brief the rest of the team. See you later."

Just as Foreman was about to leave the room, House called out, "Wait!"

Foreman turned back, "Do you need something?"

"You said the patient used heroin?"

"Yes."

"Were they in California recently?"

"Yes."

"They probably used black tar heroin."

Foreman was wondering where his boss was going with this and if he was really with it.

"And?"

"Are you dense? Check for infected injection sites."

"Already did. There is one. Is this related?"

"You idiot! Wound botulism!"

"There are only a few cases of that a year in the US. Seriously, a heroin injection site?"

"NO, I'm kidding!" House added sarcastically.

Foreman just raised an eyebrow.

"Have you not been reading any journals lately? Wound botulism is becoming more common after the use of black tar heroin. Particularly in California."

"So, now what?"

"Confirm it. Surgically treat the injection site. Start him on meds. Treatment takes a long time, but he might end up okay. Get on it!"

"Okay."

Foreman shook his head. House always came up with the strangest things. They considered food born botulism, but ruled it out based on a home search. That probably wasn't the wisest way to rule something out, but wound botulism from an injection site? Foreman vaguely wondered how many medical journals House read.

After basking in the glow of a diagnosis, it suddenly hit House what Foreman was doing during the differential.

His employee had probed his most private area. Well, the scar on his thigh was really the area he most liked to hide, but apparently Foreman had been in the operating room and had already seen that.

The stowic doctor was mortified with the whole situation, but had to admit that he felt much better now that his penis and testicles were clean. The antiseptic wash was less than pleasant and stung, but it did help.

Now that he was alone, he sighed and allowed himself a slight groan as another surge of pain radiated through his entire hip and thigh area. His lower back hurt as well.

He looked across the room and suddenly realized that he was not alone. The woman had a book in front of her face…an upside down book that is. The teenager was openly staring at him and not even trying to hide his shameless observation. Well, House did prefer honesty.

House suddenly realized that she was the hot woman from the elevator and the stranger holding his hand last night.

This was embarrassing.

He abruptly remembered his curiousness about her boobs. Now the upside down book was blocking his view. That could be remedied.

"I know you were checking out my massive penis."

Claudia wasn't expecting him to say anything. "What makes you say that?"

Casey chimed in, "Your book is upside down. It is just like lying. You might as well be honest about your curiousness."

House thought that was a pretty good statement.

He noticed that Claudia's face was reddening.

House shared one of his favorite phrases, "Everybody lies."

Claudia realized that her book was indeed upside down, so she decided to avoid pretense and put it on the bedside table.

Oh man, her boobs were to die for. The sweatshirt wasn't the most flattering attire, but dang…

House needed a distraction, "I know my penis is stunning."

House was surprised when she jokingly replied, "Yep, I got a pretty good look at all of you last night while I was holding your hand."

Eww, darn. Desperately clutching a stranger's hand was not exactly one of his prouder moments.

Not only was the whole hand-holding thing embarrassing, but she now knew more about him and his condition than he would really want anyone knowing.

She was lightly joking about it, though. She didn't make him feel embarrassed or anything. She said that as if it was totally natural to desperately strangle a stranger's hand while finding out potentially life-altering information.

House figured he might as well satisfy his curiosity. "So, why did you let a total stranger squeeze the living daylights out of your hand?"

"You looked like you were in pain." Claudia thought that seemed like a good answer.

Unfortunately, that wasn't enough for House. "There are people in pain all over the place. Are you going to go hold their hands as well?"

He did have a point, "No. What if I told you I only hold the hands of sexy men with stunning blue eyes? I figured I'd hold your hand since you weren't exactly in the right position for me to jump you." A slight smile playfully crossed her features.

That took House by surprise. "Are you flirting with a man who has a hard plastic tube up his penis and just let a nurse and his employee go probing his "special place" with cotton swabs?"

When you worded things like that it did sound awkward, so she just gave him a coy smile and responded, "Maybe."

It was at this moment that Dr. Wilson walked in. Whew, awkward situation averted.

House MD

Thanks for reading!

TetraFish06 did a ton of research for the botulism diagnosis – it wasn't made up in case you were wondering.


	9. Chapter 9: Life-Altering Decisions

The Roommate's Sister

Thank you for reading. I really appreciate your reviews. I upload faster with a little of encouragement : )

Disclaimer: Does it look like I'm a rich doctor…oh wait, I'm a college student, there's no way I could claim ownership.

Chapter 9: Life-altering decisions

House MD

It was only about 6 am, but Dr. Wilson was already up and at it. Claudia realized that he was probably here early because Dr. House was sharing a room with Casey. She remembered the nurse's discussion from the hall and the fact that House and Wilson were apparently best friends. Dr. Wilson washing his face certainly made a lot more sense now.

Dr. Wilson looked pretty tired this morning. Claudia couldn't even imagine the impact on an oncologist of your best friend being diagnosed with cancer. Judging by everything she saw last night, they were pretty good friends. You don't wash a casual acquaintance's armpits when he is incapacitated. It would stink to be a specialist in that situation, because he would know EVERYTHING that could go wrong. Based on what she heard while she was holding Dr. House's hand, he was in for a rough ride.

Claudia realized that as a doctor, House must be terrified as well. She didn't know what kind of doctor he was, but he was presumably a medical doctor since he worked at a hospital. The other doctor, she had learned his name was Foreman, had been consulting with Dr. House on a patient earlier. It must take balls to treat a patient considering how sick he was. Basically, all Claudia caught from the discussion were big words flying all over the place. She couldn't help but notice the excitement laced in Dr. House's voice, though. As he talked about medicine, she found herself riveted to the sound of his voice even though she had no idea what he was talking about. She figured some snooping would be in order later to find out more about him.

Dr. Wilson approached Casey's bed first and picked up his chart, while giving a quick, "Good Morning."

"Casey, I'm going to start you on the final stage of prep for the surgery. We'll do some imaging tonight and I'll speak to the surgeon about getting your surgery scheduled for tomorrow morning. As your oncologist, I won't actually be performing the surgery-"

Casey interrupted, "I know the drill."

Dr. Wilson nodded, made a few notes in Casey's chart, and then moved over to the other bed with a quick nod.

At least their oncologist didn't seem to have any problems with Casey's methods of dealing with doctors.

Dr. Wilson examined House's chart briefly and talked to him for a bit. He seemed to ask questions, but House just answered with a grunt or other monosyllabic answer.

He sat down next to House and handed him some papers. Claudia noticed Wilson lightly place his hand on House's left shin as he talked in low tones. She couldn't hear what they were saying, but the air was fairly somber.

House MD

Wilson visibly checked the swelling around House's hips. "How does your leg feel?"

The prickly middle-aged doctor glared.

"Let me rephrase. Any numbness or tingling?"

"No."

"Have you had any muscle spasms in your thigh?"

"No."

Wilson checked House's toes for capillary refill. "It looks okay. Dr. Mathis will be in later to more thoroughly check things out."

The perseptive oncologist sat down in the chair close to House's bed on his left side.

"Now that you're a little more awake, I thought you might want to see all the details." Wilson handed the other doctor the results from all his blood tests. He also had images ready for House to look at.

House grabbed them and then realized that he still didn't have his glasses.

The brilliant diagnostician let out a sigh, "Wilson, I can't read these."

"What's wrong with them?" James Wilson reached for them back.

House softly replied, "I need my glasses."

"Oh, where are they?" Wilson kicked himself for not remembering them. He knew his closest friend was sensitive about how often he needed his glasses – although he would never admit it.

"The corner of the desk in my office; make it snappy wonder boy oncologist."

"Okay. I'll get them right away master," retorted Wilson sarcastically.

Wilson left the room. House squinted at the results as if his vision might fix itself.

House knew Claudia and Casey were no doubt watching, but he was feeling vulnerable at the moment. He decided to pretend that he was alone.

When Jimmy came back, House grabbed for the glasses. His hands were shaking and he had trouble grabbing them. After a couple of fumbles, he got them.

Dr. House really didn't want to admit how nervous he was about looking at all of his results. He knew what Wilson and Mathis had said, but he wouldn't know exactly how bad everything was until he got a look for himself.

He started reading through the results. He took the images as Wilson handed them to him.

"Wilson, this is bad. Heck, some oncologists would just recommend palliative treatment."

Wilson nodded, "I corresponded with several other top oncologists, and I think you deserve to know what they thought."

Wilson was starting to doubt whether he should tell House these things. Last night, he got the impression that House was willing to do treatment, but he knew his friend didn't know all of the details last night.

"That is what several of them suggested." Wilson held his breath for House's response.

"What are you suggesting? Do you seriously think I'll recover?"

Wilson sighed, "The odds aren't good. The metastasis into your bones is very bad. There may be more in other parts of your body that we don't know about yet."

"Is there ANY chance I'll get past this – into remission?" House's imploring look was unnerving. He had never seen House ask him anything this seriously.

"Yes, there is a chance." Wilson met House's gaze.

He saw something in the doctor's eyes that he had never seen before: pure, unconcealed fear.

House gulped. Wilson could tell he was groping for words.

"Okay. Let's do it." The world renound diagnostician's voice cracked on the short sentence.

"You ready for this?"

"I'm too stubborn to give up." House gave Wilson a reluctant half smirk.

He knew that House's stubborn nature would be crucial in getting him through this.

Wilson took a deep breath.

"If you're going to have a shot at this, we've got to hit this hard. We have to get this orthopedic crud taken care of before chemo or radiation, but there is one thing we can do while you are under for this surgery. One option for treatment is hormone therapy. Testosterone is necessary for prostate cancer growth."

"Please tell me you're not about to suggest what I think you're about to suggest."

The seasoned oncologist grimaced, "House, it's not a cure; however, it can slow the growth and spread. We know that this cancer is more aggressive than most cases of prostate cancer, and we know it is spreading. Testosterone production would be reduced by about 90 percent. This isn't a cure, but it can help. This is a good option in conjunction with the other therapies you'll be starting."

House gulped and asked, "What about medication to block testosterone?"

"It increases the chance of blood clots. You know your history and the fact that you will be laid up for a while and immobile increases the risk."

House and Wilson sat in silence for a moment. Wilson was starting to think that the stubborn doctor might not reply and that he should give him some time to process.

"Wilson, I'm not going to have testicles." House whispered this without even looking at him.

"I know House. I know." The oncologist gave House's shoulder a quick squeeze.

Wilson sensed that his friend needed a few minutes alone, so he quietly left without another word.

House MD

Claudia had absolutely no idea what that discussion entailed, but it was obviously emotionally taxing to both men.

After Wilson left she saw House close his eyes and lean his head back. He couldn't physically turn his body, but she could tell he wanted to. He just turned his head towards the wall and brought his hand up to his face. She thought she heard a couple of sniffles, but it was hard to tell.

Not long after Wilson left, a nurse entered the room. Based on her past interactions with House, she was very surprised to see him looking vulnerable.

"Dr. House, would you like some ice chips? We aren't going to give you any solids because the doctors aren't sure when they will be operating. Your IV is giving you basic fluids."

"Yes."

"Okay, can I get you anything else?"

House gave the nurse a slight shake of the head.

The nurse turned to Casey, "Do you need anything?"

Casey sent her a scowl, but Claudia replied, "No, but thank you for checking."

His sister's obsessive politeness to medical staff drove Casey nuts. He could see her rationale, but it seemed fake.

The nurse left to retrieve a small cup of ice and a spoon. When she walked back in the room, House appeared very somber. She wasn't sure if she should hand him the cup or offer to spoon them into his mouth. He had surgery less than twelve hours ago and she wasn't allowed to raise the head of the bed at all. She decided to play it by ear.

He didn't reach for the cup as she approached and he didn't even seem to register her presence.

"Dr. House, I can't raise the head of the bed any because of your hip. Would you like help?"

"I can do it." Dr. House's hand was lightly trembling as he reached for the cup.

She handed him the cup and the spoon.

The nurse continued to stand there after giving him the cup of ice. Presumably, she was waiting to take the cup when he was done.

House sarcastically asked, "Is there something I can help you with?"

He really didn't want her standing there while he fumbled with the ice. He couldn't remember ever being this exhausted. He actually considered letting her spoon the ice into his mouth, but he still had a reputation to maintain.

The nurse looked a bit rattled, "Press the call button if you need anything."

House rested his shaky forearm against his chest and stared at the cup. House was exhausted, but his mouth was quite dry. He decided to forego the spoon and just dump a few into his mouth.

Mission accomplished: two pieces of crushed ice successfully placed in his mouth. He figured he would just leave the cup on the bedside table to his right.

Once he reached forward he realized that the table was a little bit too far away. The thing was on wheels – who the heck leaves a patient's bedside table out of his reach?

He'd need to lean just a bit to his right to put the cup there. Okay. If he rested his forearm on the rail of the bed and used it to hold his weight, his hip should be fine. Then, he could just extend his arm with the cup. Excellent plan. Now, to just…House's gasp was audible as he leaned toward his hip. Even though his weight was actually on his forearm instead of his hip, the pain was horrific. With an audible gasp, he reached for his hip with one hand and his thigh with the other. As he moved his hand he managed to dump the ice down his chest. Once his forearm was no longer holding his weight, it felt

like a freight train slammed onto his hip.

He was panting, in even more pain, and covered in ice. This was just spectacular.

His field of vision was suddenly filled with the woman from across the room.

"Let me just get this ice before it melts."

Claudia carefully collected the ice off his chest and abdomen. After gathering the ice, she left her hand lightly resting on his chest.

She hadn't touched a man in ages and she suddenly found herself aroused.

House was torn on his options. He could yell at her to get away from him, or he could show his appreciation somehow. She was hot.

He couldn't believe it, but he instinctively placed his hand over her hand that was still resting on his chest. House rubbed his thumb across the back of her hand. Her hand was soft and the warmth felt delicious against his chest. Before he could stop himself he asked, "What is your name?"

She responded, "Claudia."

He had no idea what was controlling his mouth, "That's a beautiful name. Claudia, your hands are so soft." WTF? "Thank you, Claudia." Okay, salvage time…

"Anytime. What's your name?" Claudia already knew his name, but she felt like she should reciprocate. Not to mention, she was apparently unable to think right now.

"People call me House, but you can call me anything you want. My first name is Greg." Was he seriously flirting?

"I can manage that, Greg." She leaned forward and kissed his forehead.

Despite the pain, House found himself smiling.

Casey's voice drifted into her conscious thoughts, "Sis? Come here."

Claudia squeezed House's hand and sprung into action to get over to Casey.

As soon as she got over to Casey she saw mischief in his eyes. He whispered, "Seriously, sis? Don't you think you should slow down a bit? I thought you were about to climb up in bed with him!"

Casey saw the dreamy look on his sister's face – a look he had never seen before. "I'm afraid I would hurt him if I tried."

At first he thought she was joking, but Casey realized that she wasn't kidding at all.

"Seriously? Go get me a tissue or something. Make yourself look useful."

Claudia walked to the bathroom to grab a tissue.

Casey looked over at his roommate and saw a similar look on his face. Was cupid hiding in here someplace? If these two looked any dreamier there'd be little cartoon hearts flying around and corny music playing!

He wasn't sure if this was a good thing or a bad thing. That would remain to be seen.

House MD

House couldn't quit thinking about Claudia. She was beautiful. She came over to him when he needed help, but didn't make him feel helpless or ashamed of needing someone.

Some people had to make a huge production of helping. It seemed that every time he went to the store and was carrying a bag out someone would get the door for him. That was great and helpful, but they always had to accompany it with, "Here, let me get the door since you have that cane. Do you need me to carry something?" It was always loud so that everyone nearby would know he had a cane and someone was helping him with the door. Why can't they just open the door, he pass through the door and nod thanks? In the winter people sometimes felt the need to include, "Be careful on the ice. It sure is slick – I'd hate to see you fall." Yes, he needed help sometimes and he actually did appreciate it. He just wished people could be more subtle about it.

She made it feel natural – both yesterday with the handholding and now with the spill.

Who ever thought spilling ice on yourself with a pillow wedged between your legs, a big honkin' brace on your broken and already crippled leg, a breezy hospital gown, and a catheter could feel sexy. Oh, don't forget the gurgling machine attached to the cold wrap he had strapped around his waist. Despite all of this, the way she looked at him felt hot!

My gosh, he was hurting. He hadn't been in this much pain since his infarction. Everything felt stiff, too. At least he could wiggle a little bit, but he didn't know how long that would last. Based on what Mathis said, he wouldn't be able to move at all once he was "placed in" this brace after surgery. More surgery! He still felt so weak after this past one. Anesthesia had always made him feel like crud.

It suddenly hit him again that not only would he wake up trapped in some contraption, his testes would be gone.

He found himself attracted to this woman, but what would she think if she knew he was about to lose…his manhood.

He'd still have his penis, but between the prostate cancer, lack of testicles, and almost eliminated testosterone, it was possible that he might not be able to get an erection again for a long time. He wondered how much this would affect his sex drive.

He never planned to have kids anyway, but would a woman want him if he didn't have any balls? He already had his bad leg and cranky demeanor going against him, but this would really kill his sex appeal. A few minutes ago, Claudia had made him feel attractive, but now he just felt trapped inside a cancer-riddled, broken body.

House MD

Several people have asked if this is going to be a deathfic. The answer is probably not, though that doesn't mean that it's going to be a smooth ride for House and co. There will definitely be a good deal of angst, though. (and some other stuff!)

Thanks for reading!


	10. Chapter 10: Cancer isn't sexy!

The Roommate's Sister

Thank you all for reading, reviewing, etc. For the sake of this story, Sam and Wilson are still together.

Disclaimer: I don't own Claudia, and that's really unfortunate, because she'd write excellent greeting cards, according to Greg House anyways. Lol but who takes his words seriously?

Chapter 10: Cancer Isn't Sexy!

House MD

Wilson returned later that afternoon. He had finished his appointments and saved House and Casey for last, so that he could sit with House for a while. He wanted to be there when Mathis came in to check on House, but mostly he was concerned about his rude friend's emotional state after he had agreed to surgically remove his testes.

House would never admit to being emotional, but Wilson knew House's emotions were intense.

He always had trouble dealing with emotions, so he just held them all in. Wilson wondered if House might actually explode someday from the suppressed emotions.

The oncologist briefly checked on Casey and let him and Claudia know that his surgery was scheduled for tomorrow morning, provided the images turned out okay.

Wilson moved across the room. He decided that he needed to hold the "friend" title for now. He plopped down on the chair next to House.

"Hey."

"What?" He seemed less than thrilled to see Wilson. House knew that Jimmy had arrived for his amateur psychoanalysis session. (He also vowed to never tell Jimmy that he called him that even in his muddled mind).

"I just wanted to stop by and check on you."

House looked at him with a sneer. "Aren't you going to go home and sleep or something? Or is Sam mad at you right now? Perhaps she won't let you in the bed? Or is it occupied by someone else?"

The annoyed doctor was definitely upset. This was "run Wilson off" mode. He obviously didn't want to talk, but Wilson decided he would at least stay until Mathis came.

"So, uh, how are you feeling?"

"Do you feel obligated to ask that just because 'MD' is found after your name?"

"House, I care about you."

House let out a deep sigh. "I know you do. Wilson, go care from somewhere else."

He appreciated Wilson even though he often had trouble expressing it; however, he didn't feel like he could deal with anything right now.

Wilson was suddenly feeling very awkward.

Much to Wilson's relief, Mathis walked in the door.

"Hello, Dr. House. How is the leg and hip feeling?"

"Are you seriously asking me that?"

"Yes."

"Painful. Miserable. It feels like I have a bunch of broken bones. Gee, I wonder why it would feel that way. …such a mystery."

Mathis took all of House's sarcasm in stride. "Point taken. I'm going to check for swelling and then check your leg."

Fortunately, the diagnostician was wearing the type of hospital gown that opened from the front. Nurses were pretty clever with that kind of thing.

Mathis opened his gown and pulled the wrap away from his right hip.

"The swelling looks a bit better, but not where it should be. Have you tried to move or shift at all?"

House gave her an innocent look.

"I suppose that is a 'yes.' Gregory House, don't you dare move a muscle in this busted up lower body of yours." She sounded like an upset mother.

"What part of 'be still' did you not understand? The hip abduction pillow is designed to keep you still, but if you deliberately try to move, it can't do its job. Do I need to tie you down?"

House just glared.

After letting out a little huff, Mathis continued, "I'm going to lightly palpate the area."

Mathis reached forward and began to feel around House's right hip.

"Damn! Aaahh. Uhh… is this really necessary?"

"Yes."

Despite his protests, Mathis continued to probe his hip, "The swelling doesn't feel quite as bad as it looks. I'll look at you again in the morning and hopefully operate tomorrow afternoon. Don't you dare try to move. I'm going to check out that right leg now."

"Can't that wait? The leg is obviously here, it's killin' me right now."

"Nope, I need to look."

Mathis moved further down his bed and reached for his leg.

"You'll feel a change in pressure as I open the brace."

Mathis carefully undid the fasteners and eased the brace open.

House paled slightly, "Ow, holy…" House clamped his jaw shut. His heart rate began to rise and his oxygen saturation dropped some. His heart rate was already high from palpating his hip, but Mathis was starting to get concerned.

"House, I need you to take deep breaths for me. I want you to concentrate on remaining calm. Wilson, bump his oxygen up some." House was still wearing the nasal cannula, but Wilson gave him even more oxygen. House's stats began to calm down.

"Okay, House. I'm just going to take the dressings off and look. I'm not going to touch your leg any more than I have to. Nod your head if you're hearing me."

Although his eyes were closed, he gave her a slight nod.

Mathis carefully removed the gauze pads covering the sutures.

There was a little bit of blood and pus in the area.

The concerned oncologist saw the quantity of stitches and the condition of House's leg for the first time since his latest surgery. Wilson started to gasp and comment, but Mathis quickly saw his reaction. Her main objective was to keep House calm and finish this up.

"Dr. Wilson, go and get supplies. I need to clean and redress the area."

Wilson started to protest, but Mathis's body language told him that she was not giving him a suggestion. She meant business.

House hadn't seen the area and he wasn't trying to look. Mathis didn't want him to notice Wilson's reaction and get upset. If House asked, she would certainly tell him that she was concerned about the possibility of infection and the quantity of stitches they had used directly through the scar tissue and the surrounding area, but she didn't want him to see the look of horror on Wilson's face. She knew that her patient had seen the x-ray images, so he had a pretty good idea of how bad it was, but seeing it in the flesh might be distressing right now.

Mathis could have called in a nurse, but she would prefer taking care of this herself. She didn't want to upset House more than necessary.

Wilson returned with the supplies.

"Dr. House, this is going to sting." He seemed somewhat zoned out. "Dr. House, are you with me?" She didn't want to catch him by surprise or cause him to jerk or move the leg, because the brace was currently open.

She got no reaction from House, so she lightly placed her hand on his shoulder. When he met her eyes she continued.

"Dr. House this is going to sting."

House mumbled, "Okay."

Mathis carefully cleaned the area and gently felt around for any heat that might indicate infection. Once she was satisfied, she gently applied a large non stick dressing.

"I'm going to close the brace again. Focus and stay with me, House."

House barely whispered, "Yeah."

She carefully closed the brace around his leg and secured it.

"Does that feel too tight?"

She could tell the pain was really getting to him. "I don't know."

House was never an "I don't know" kind of guy. He always KNEW. She could tell he was totally overwhelmed. Probably by pain and emotions – she knew that he had agreed to have his testes removed. That would probably upset any man. She decided she should just let him be.

"Okay. If it starts feeling too tight, call a nurse."

"Yeah. I'm tired."

"Try to sleep for a few hours." She reapplied the ice wrap on his hip and double checked how his hips were positioned.

Dealing with the pain had apparently used up all of his remaining energy as he seemed to drift off before she even left the room. She made a few notes and indicated for Wilson to follow her to the hall.

"If the swelling goes down a bit more, I think that we can operate at some point tomorrow. We need to watch him for any fever at all. I'll see you tomorrow."

Mathis headed out for the night and Wilson returned to the room and sat next to House.

Wilson had rescheduled all of his appointments for tomorrow except for Casey Black's surgery. He was already prepped and Wilson would not actually be performing the operation himself. Also, he would be able to easily monitor him since he was in the same room as House.

He was already talking to other oncologists about reassigning some of his cases. Once House got into the cancer treatments he would probably want a lighter case load.

House was so out of it that Wilson decided he might as well go home. Contrary to House's commentary, Sam would be glad to see him. He told the nurses to page him at the first sign of fever.

House MD

Claudia was in the room watching as the orthopedic surgeon appeared to be torturing Greg.

She found herself wanting to either go hold his hand or punch Dr. Mathis in the face. It was one of the strangest feelings she had ever felt. It felt very similar to the feelings she had whenever Casey was going through a medical procedure, but this guy was a virtual stranger. She had spent years with her brother and they had been through everything together. It seemed normal to have these kinds of feelings about her brother, but these feelings for someone she barely knew?

She felt like she knew this guy! Just the thought of him put the "L" word in her head. This was crazy.

She had had a few boyfriends over the years, but they never made her feel like this! Was she going insane? Why did he have this hold on her?

House MD

House slept for a couple of hours after Mathis examined him and then woke a bit later to the sound of the TV.

He was sore and tired, but he didn't think he'd be able to sleep.

He found himself plagued with a problem he had experienced on an off for most of his life: boredom.

His roommate across the way, Casey, was asleep so there was no entertainment value there.

And after the lecture that he had been treated to by Mathis for the stunt with the ice was hardly worth him risking the agony that would inevitably come if he tried to use the bed controls to change the channel to something more entertaining than 'Whose Line Is It Anyway'. He'd be willing to bet that Casey had been watching reruns of the game show before falling asleep.

House was quite disappointed to see Claudia gone.

He really wanted his ipod.

House perked up as he heard the door open. It would probably be a nurse to check his vitals.

Claudia entered the room. He could tell that she was trying to be quiet. She approached her brother's bed and noticed that he was asleep. She turned to sit down, but noticed House's eyes were open. He was awake! Claudia felt a little shiver run through her spine as she met his eyes.

Instead of sitting next to her brother, she approached House's bed.

"Hey, Greg. Do you mind? And is their anything that you need?" She gestured to the chair next to his bed.

"Have a seat; could you turn off the television, Casey's asleep so he won't mind."

Claudia sat down next to him. She was at a loss as far as what she should say, so she reached out her hand to House's bed controlls and turned off the TV for the proud man. She didn't want him to attempt to shift his hand to do it lest his whole body started to shift and cause him pain like it had done earlier with the ice.

"I saw your surgeon in here earlier. You must still be hurting pretty bad." Whew, Claudia. Great choice – that was quite possibly the worst comment she could have chosen.

House was annoyed that Claudia had noticed him in pain and his snark took over, "Well, thank you Captain Obvious for clearing that up for me. I never knew I was hurting!" Drat! Why had he just said that to the beautiful woman he was attracted to?

Much to his surprise, she laughed. "Okay. That was a stupid comment – I'm just trying to make conversation. Let's think of a safe topic."

"Are you married?" popped out of House's mouth before he could stop himself. Okay, that wasn't exactly a safe topic, but House had been wondering.

"No. You?"

"No." Well, that went over okay.

"So, Casey is your brother?" House asked.

"Yeah. Do you have any siblings?" Claudia thought she was on safe ground.

"Only child. My mom lives out of state."

"My parents live out of state, too."

"What do you do?" Might as well satisfy his curiousity some more.

"I work for a technology firm. I do most of my work via the internet and only go to the local office about once a week. What kind of doctor are you?"

"I'm head of the diagnostics department here. I have a double specialty in nephrology and infectious disease."

"You sound important."

"I am. I take the cases nobody else can solve. I have a team of doctors working for me and they do most of the dirty work. Sometimes I don't even bother to meet the patient. I'm the best at what I do – it's all about the puzzle for me."

"I can see that you are so very humble."

"I wouldn't list humility as one of my strengths. Why be humble when you know that you're right?"

House's little smirk was tantalizing to Claudia. She laughed.

"Humility may not be a strength of yours, but boy you are sexy."

House's expression showed a bit of shock.

"Did I just say that out loud?" Claudia actually hadn't meant to say that part. She was now slightly mortified – at least it was out in the open now!

"Yes, you did."

She wasn't sure what to say now. "This is awkward."

"Not really. It's good to make observations. You're sexy as hell. I can tell you're smart and you make me feel weird." House's response surprised both him and Claudia.

The roommate's sister wasn't sure how to respond. The look in House's eyes told her that it was a compliment, but she wasn't sure how to react.

"Weird as in you wish you could run from the room?"

"No, weird as in I wish I could lean forward and kiss you."

"Well, I suppose I could remedy that." Claudia leaned over his bed and went straight for his mouth.

Their kiss was full of passion as their tongues pushed out towards each other. This was probably the best kiss Claudia had ever had. His hands were now on her face as they kissed. She could feel his IV line against her cheek and his nasal cannula brushing against her nose, but it didn't matter. As she leaned forward, she suddenly lost her balance. Her first thought was that she might hurt him.

He quickly reacted and grabbed her by the shoulders before she could fall on top of him.

Claudia's first instinct was to apologize, but when she looked into his eyes, she knew that was probably the worst possible decision. He looked embarrassed and apologetic.

"Claudia? Are you okay?" House's voice was soft and almost reluctant.

"Yeah – I just lost my balance." Claudia reached forward and ran her hand across his cheek.

"That was an awesome kiss, until I fumbled it." Claudia was trying for a light joke, but he apparently didn't perceive it that way.

The doctor pulled his hands away from her shoulders. "No. It's my fault." House's voice was soft and he wouldn't meet her eyes.

Claudia reached for his hand, but he pulled it away. "How do you figure?"

Greg looked nervous and sad, "Because I'm trapped in a hospital bed and I can't kiss you like a normal man."

"Look at me." When House didn't respond, she grabbed the sides of his face and guided him until he met her eyes.

"Hospital bed or not, no man has ever kissed me like that before. I lost my balance because that is the best kiss I ever felt in my life."

Claudia grabbed the chair from behind her and pulled it as close to the bed as possible and pushed the rail down on that side. She reached for the hand without the IV line. She could tell that he still felt uncomfortable, but he didn't pull away. She planted a kiss on the palm of his hand.

"That good, huh?" He still looked hesitant, but a little bit of a smirk was back.

"Yep."

"Listen Claudia. I'm really attracted to you, but-"

She broke in before he could finish his sentence, "That's good because I'm attracted to you, too."

"BUT, you shouldn't be attracted to a man who might be dying soon."

"Well, by the same principle you shouldn't be attracted to me because I might get hit by a bus tomorrow." Claudia pointed this out with a smirk.

House returned her little smirk. "Very funny. You know what I mean."

"What are you suggesting? I sit around and fantasize about you until it might be a good time to date you?"

"No. I'm saying you should forget about me and find someone healthy, someone who can love you, and take care of you like I would never be able to."

"Cancer isn't a death sentence. What makes you say that?"

"You saw me in the elevator the other day. Even before the cancer, I had a bad thigh and had to use a cane. Now, I…" House just glanced down at his right leg immobilized in a large brace and strapped to a pillow for stability.

"Guess what? I'm not attracted to your thigh. If I chose men by their thighs, I'd be dating some awkward body builder with a tiny IQ who knew how to use a bench press, but couldn't do much else. I'm not interested in dating your thigh."

"That's the thing. I can't even take you on a date. I'm going to be in the hospital for the immediate foreseeable future. I'm about to have surgery. I'm going to have some massive brace on and then I'll start cancer treatments. That won't be sexy. It'll be gross."

"No it won't. I don't care about restaurants and movies. I just know I've never felt a connection like this to anyone in my life."

"True, but-"

Claudia cut him off again, "Let's call this our first date. We chatted, we shared a smokin' hot kiss – a kiss like that is a rare occurrence on a first date."

"There is something else."

Claudia was starting to think she would never get through to him.

"I'm sure it's something that doesn't matter, but what is it?"

"They're removing my testes tomorrow."

Claudia laughed at this one.

"What's so funny? I may not have any sex drive. I have prostate cancer! Why would you want me?"

The striking beauty before him got her laughter under control, "Well, if I just wanted sex, I'd order a damn vibrator. I'm not attracted to the thought of sex. I'm attracted to the way you argued with your boss in the lobby, the excitement in your voice when you were talking about that patient with Dr. Foreman, your sense of humor, that funny little smirk you get, your sensitivity, your blue eyes, the look I see on your face when you look at me…"

"You should write greeting cards." House's snicker was actually genuine.

Claudia gave him a little slap on the shoulder.

"You're going to have to come closer because I need to give you a peck on the cheek to end our first date."

Claudia was internally relieved. It looked like she had gotten through to him.

"Greg, can we cheat and have a better kiss?" Claudia was already bringing her head in when she asked.

He reached forward and pulled her in for a hot kiss with lots of tongue that left them both breathless. House had to just breathe for a minute.

The astute doctor glanced at his monitor and told Claudia, "We have to be careful or my monitor is going to go off and a slew of nurses are going to come running in here."

"I guess I'll have to beat them off with your IV pole because I don't share! They're going to have to find their own hot guy!"

Claudia and House both laughed. Although House was laughing carefully with one hand on his hip and a slight grimace, it still counted.

House MD

Thanks for reading. If you feel inclined, I would enjoy your reviews. Also let me know what you thought about the House and Claudia parts.


	11. Chapter 11:

The Roommate's Sister

A/N: Love your thoughts in review form. Hope you enjoy; you get to see House's big decision. Wilson isn't going to be happy, but he'll get over it, eventually.

Disclaimer: As much as I love the support that you guys are giving me, the original plot of this fic belongs to TetraFish, and House MD belongs to David Shore, even if towards the end of the show, he turned Wilson into a total jerk.

Chapter 11: What would you do for a woman you love?

Once Claudia had moved away from his bed, House started thinking. If he were to take medications to block testosterone, he could keep his testicles. Sure, there was risks, but he already had a lot of risks stacked against him. What would be one more?

If he was even going to think about a relationship with Claudia, he needed testicles. If he kept his testicles, he could go off the blocking meds after all this was over, and he would likely be able to get decent levels of testosterone again.

Wilson wouldn't be happy, but Jimmy's testicles weren't the ones on the chopping block. After all, this was a quality of life issue.

After deciding to keep his testicles, House drifted off to sleep.

House MD

Claudia thought Casey was asleep, but he heard a lot of her and Greg's discussion. Although it was dim, there was always enough light in a hospital room that he could see almost everything.

He thought she needed a man in her life, but Casey agreed with House. Should she get involved with a man who had cancer?

She never did anything for herself. Most of her life in recent years involved her job and caring for him.

What if a relationship with this guy was something she wanted for herself for once?

Based on what Casey had figured out about House so far, he was a perfect match for his older sister.

He could already see his sister falling for this guy, but was that a good thing? She would spend hours at his bedside taking care of him. Did she want that for herself? If she loved this guy, then she probably would want to care for him. Claudia was a strong, independent woman. She had gone years without a man in her life.

Casey decided that he needed to hurry up and get himself better, so that he could support Claudia in whatever decisions she might make. She needed a life outside of his and he needed a life outside of his damn cancer. If she got involved with Greg and things went poorly, Casey might need to be there to pick her up again.

His own prognosis was really good this time – they had caught it early. This surgery would probably be the worst part, but then he might only need a short round of chemo or radiation. He said ONLY, but even some was a big deal. Still, it shouldn't be as hellish as his last bout with cancer.

House MD

House slept on and off for most of the night, but he didn't feel rested. He just felt even more tired. Even a day and a half later, he could still feel the aftereffects of the anesthesia. He would probably be getting more anesthesia today, so that they could operate on his hip and pelvis. The very thought made him cringe.

Claudia woke up very early. She noticed that House was asleep, but Casey was awake and staring at her.

"Hey. You ready for surgery today?"

"I suppose. I heard last night that you wrangled yourself a man." The mischievous look in Casey's eyes put her on high alert.

"You were awake?" Claudia felt a touch of annoyance that her brother was apparently eavesdropping and watching her and Greg last night. As much as she loved her brother, that was kind of an intimate moment between her and Greg.

"Yep, I was awake. Nice show. I didn't catch all the dialogue, but the visuals were stunning."

"Nosey brat!"

"That I am."

Despite her anger, Casey noticed how bright and alive his sister's eyes looked. He hadn't seen her like this in a long time. He knew Claudia loved him as much as a sister possibly could, but he also knew that his own illness had taken quite a toll on her and that he often seemed less than appreciative.

Claudia suddenly got a contemplative look on her face and turned to her brother. "Do you believe in love at first sight?"

Casey's first thought was to answer 'no,' but his sister looked so hopeful. "I don't know." Liar! "I guess it would be impossible to know until I found myself in that situation."

"I think I do." Claudia looked all dreamy again.

"It seems there would be a fine line between love at first sight and sudden infatuation."

She looked a bit disappointed at his words, but she appeared to be thinking about it.

"Of course, sudden infatuation would be more likely to happen with George Clooney than some sickly looking hospital patient."

"Hey! He is not just some sickly looking hospital patient!" Claudia would have yelled this, but she didn't want to wake up Greg. Instead, it came out as an urgent hiss.

Her brother gave her a somber look. "He's the sickly looking hospital patient that you seem to be falling head over heels for."

Claudia and Casey were both silent for a few minutes.

Claudia finally whispered, "Yeah."

She had to acknowledge that Greg was sick. He was weak and hurting now, but he would probably start chemo and then he'd be vomiting, sweating, feverish, gasping, and in even more pain. She figured that was what Greg meant last night when he said he'd be 'gross.' On top of all that, he'd be immobilized in a brace.

Could she take care of Casey and love someone as sick as Greg at the same time?

She knew her brother. He would get through the worst of his illness and then push her away ASAP. Even after they knew his cancer was coming back, he was already talking about applying at Princeton University. She wondered about the wisdom of that, but knew that there was no way to stop him if he made up his mind.

Greg really wouldn't have the option of pushing everyone away, because he wouldn't be able to take care of himself in this situation. Of course, he could just let the nurses take care of him; however, he wouldn't be capable of driving people from the room even if he wanted to.

Casey saw the contemplative looks cross his sister's face, but more than anything, he saw a look of fondness as she glanced across the room at the sleeping man.

He wanted his sister to be happy. "If you think you could love him, then I guess you have to go for it."

Claudia gave Casey a small smile.

Casey went back to sleep for a little while, but Claudia stayed awake alternating between watching Casey and watching Greg.

Was she making a mistake? Should she really start some kind of relationship with him? All those things she said last night, could she be leading him on?

He didn't look too sick just sleeping over there – it wouldn't be too bad, right?

House MD

The lights were on full blast by 6:00 am and there was a lot of activity in the hospital room as Casey was taken for surgery. All of the noise jolted House out of a fairly decent nap.

Claudia was standing back as the nurses worked with Casey.

"Claudia!"

She turned and headed back to House.

"You're awake." She reached out and rubbed his shoulder. She had found that he seemed to respond well to physical contact from her.

"Is he being taken for surgery?"

"Yes."

"Good luck."

"Thanks."

Claudia leaned forward and gave House a kiss. She intended for it to be a brief kiss, but he quickly deepened it. Oh my gosh, how could she step away from such a kisser? This is hot! Adrenaline told her to lean in and grab another kiss, but Greg's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Go. They're taking him."

Claudia looked up and saw that they were indeed taking Casey out.

Once Claudia stepped away, he was slightly breathless. Damn, she was a good kisser. It felt like there was some sort of electricity coursing between them. He had always felt a 'current' when he was with Stacey, but nothing like this!

His roommate was taken out of the room with his sister following behind. Well, it appeared he wasn't the only one getting surgery today. He had overheard that they were removing Casey's stomach today. Definitely not fun, but at least he could have narcotics. A morphine drip sounded like heaven right now.

The smitten doctor couldn't quit thinking about Claudia even though the pain was ramping up again. He tried to distract himself.

He wanted to know how his patient was doing – why couldn't Foreman come and give him an update?

He knew they wouldn't be bringing him any breakfast, because they would be operating that afternoon – hopefully. He felt too queasy to eat anyway.

The hospital charged for cable now, right? He should have it as a department head – maybe Wilson took care of it. Oh wait, didn't Casey through a fit until Claudia had gotten Wilson to take care of it? House carefully reached for the remote. Bingo, it was close by. He had been very careful not to shift at all. He turned on the TV and discovered that he did indeed have cable. This should keep him distracted for a while.

Mathis entered the room a few minutes later.

"Hello, Dr. House."

"I have actually been doing as you said – I have been totally still."

"Good. Let me look." Mathis carefully undid the ice band around House's hip and examined the swelling.

"This looks much better. I'm going to schedule you for surgery in a couple hours. I need to contact the brace shop so that I can have a couple techs here to make any modifications needed on the brace. I don't know an exact time for you."

"I need to tell you something." House decided he would rather tell Mathis about his decision than Wilson.

"…and that would be?" Mathis sounded puzzled.

"I've decided to keep my testicles."

Mathis didn't let it phase her. "Have you opted for the medication route?"

"Yes." He thought this seemed remarkably easy.

"Okay. I'll make a note. Anything else?"

"Could you send Foreman up here?"

"Sure. See you later, Dr. House."

It was a relief to get that out in the open.

House MD

A/N: Yes I'm aware that House already realized about the cable earlier, but it's already established that the drugs post op make him a bit hazy, so he merely forgot.


	12. Chapter 12: Medical Proxy

The Roommate's Sister

A/N: Sorry that this chapter is so short, I've been combining chapters to make them longer and adding in additional stuff, but I have a lot of research for my Harry Potter fanfic to do today. I'll try to update tomorrow to make up for the short chapter.

Disclaimer:Much to my dismay, I don't own House, David Shore does.

Chapter 12: Medical proxy

House MD

Now that House knew his testicles were staying and his surgery was coming soon, he found himself a lot more agreeable. At least he'd be out for a few hours! The diagnostician was ready to get this show on the road. He felt like he'd been in some sort of holding pattern just waiting for the swelling around the tumor to go down.

The longer he waited, the more anxious he started to feel. He wasn't worried about the surgery, but he felt anxious and uncomfortable.

Foreman came wandering in about 10 minutes later.

"About time you got here!"

"I hear you're up for surgery in a couple of hours."

"Yep, but right now I'm up for finding out how my patient is doing."

"You were right."

"I knew I was right! I didn't ask if I was right, I asked how my patient is doing."

Although he would never admit it, Foreman actually respected House's confidence in his abilities and total lack of humility. Sometimes he found himself starting to get that way, but he knew deep down that he wasn't a good enough doctor yet to adopt that mindset – maybe someday. That mindset in a lesser doctor would be dangerous.

"We haven't seen much response to treatment."

House rolled his eyes. "Is he getting worse?"

"No."

"If he's not getting worse, that means the treatment is helping and holding the botulism back. He should gradually start improving. It takes time!"

"Okay, House. You don't have to get all worked up."

The head of diagnostics was becoming increasingly agitated. The doctor stopped talking for a minute and took a few deep breaths. Foreman didn't leave because he sensed that his boss was about to say something else.

"Foreman, sit down." House seemed dead serious.

The neurologist sat down in the chair next to House's bed and focused on him. The formitable diagnostician almost seemed…nervous.

"Foreman, I need to put you in charge of something."

"Okay." Surely House wasn't about to turn over the department or something. Foreman really thought House was planning to fight the cancer.

"This is medical and personal."

"Okay."

House just stared at his employee for a minute. In all honesty, this made Foreman nervous.

"I need you to promise me something."

The neurologist nodded hesitantly.

"No matter what I say, or Wilson says, or Mathis says, don't let them put me on narcotics."

"House, why are you telling me this? Just tell Wilson and Mathis."

"If I'm in enough pain and I'm begging for it, Wilson will cave and give me anything. Mathis holds a lot of stock in my abilities as a doctor – she lets me make my own decisions. I appreciate that now and when I'm totally 'with it,' but in the middle of the night when I'm screaming for vicodin because I'm out of my mind in pain, she'll still trust my opinion as a physician. She won't acknowledge that I'm a patient in pain. She doesn't know when to let me decide and when not to, so she will always let me decide. Which is great 9.9 times out of 10, but that .1 times involves narcotics and I may not be able to make my own decision if I'm in pain."

"That makes sense. So, you just want me to remind them that you don't want narcotics."

"NO, not remind them. I want you to forbid them from giving me narcotics." House was starting to get out of breath again.

"Okay, but I also want you to tell Wilson and Mathis before you go in for surgery today. I want to make sure that we are all on the same page."

House looked relieved.

"We good on this?" He could see where Foreman would want him to remind Mathis and Wilson as well. He knew that his employee didn't want them to have his hide later; however, House trusted Foreman to hold his ground no matter what Wilson or Mathis tried to do.

"Yeah."

The diagnostician met Foreman's eyes and gave him a slight nod and quietly said, "Thanks. I trust you."

The neurologist just stared at his boss. This was quite possibly one of the most moving experiences of his career. Foreman knew House trusted him as far as patient care went, but his own care? This was mind boggling.

"One more thing. I called someone on the hospital's legal staff. They should be here in a few minutes. I'm signing my medical power of attorney over to you, in case we reach a point where I can't make my own decisions. You'll have my proxy."

"You don't want Wilson to have it?" Foreman would have thought House would trust his friend the most, but he knew that Wilson allowed his emotions to dictate his decisions. That wasn't necessarily a good quality in medicine.

"When he is upset, his emotions make all of his decisions. Once he finishes rubbing the back of his neck raw, he'll give in to whatever zany thoughts are flying through his head."

Yep, exactly what Foreman was thinking.

"I know what you mean."

"You can still work on my case as needed, but I want you making decisions if I can't. You're rational. You would know when to pull the plug and when to keep going."

The hospital lawyer came in. It is amazing that you can turn over the ability to make life or death decisions in about 3 minutes when you have hospital legal staff at your disposal. (and you're a department head who demands instant service)

"I want you to scrub in on my surgery today – just in case."

He met House's eyes and they both exchanged a nod of understanding. The neurologist realized this was also his dismissal.

He left the room and leaned against the wall for a minute with his head tipped back.

Did House seriously entrust him with this? His life? Apparently.

Foreman could only hope that he would never have to decide "when to pull the plug" as House so eloquently put it.

The dark skinned physician quickly straightened up as he saw Wilson approaching House's room.

"Is House okay?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. I'm going to go in and chat with him. Mathis said she's operating today."

"See you later Wilson." With that, Foreman hurried off to what had become his sanctuary over the years, the diagnostics department.

House MD

Thanks for your continual support.


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